"The US side insists on discussing the consequences of lifting the ban on the adoption of Russian children by Americans. We agree to discuss the issue, but today, we have no basis to resume US adoptions, especially given that they have not made the system more transparent," Astakhov said in an interview with RIA Novosti.
The Russian side is prepared to travel to the United States to hold talks on the issue, he added, noting that matters to be discussed include tracking the fate of children adopted prior to the Dima Yakovlev law, as well as cooperating the in the areas of sport, culture, education and healthcare.
In 2015, Astakhov said that US nationals have found ways to bypass the ban, mainly through mixed marriages. The Russian Foreign Ministry later asked the United States to explain the adoption of 11 children since the ban had come into force, a request refused by the US side.
