US urges Russia to lift adoptions ban

A group of US lawmakers is urging Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to lift the freeze on child adoptions by American citizens - particularly for applications already being processed.

The letter was signed by five senators and 12 House members.

The temporary ban was put in place after an American woman sent a then-7-year-old Russian boy she had adopted back to Moscow earlier this month.

She sent him alone, on a transatlantic flight, with a note saying she no longer wanted him.

This latest case followed several incidents in which Russian children adopted by American families were abused or even killed.

Moscow insists adoptions should be regulated by a new agreement between Russia and the US – which is expected to be discussed by an American delegation arriving in Moscow next week.