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The vote was 400 to 4, with 2 abstentions, and it showed a rare split opening at the highest levels of the Russian government. Several senior officials had spoken out against the adoption ban, including some, like the foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, who are known as hawks in dealing with the United States. Ultimately, the decision rests with President Vladimir V. Putin who has said that Russia must respond to the American law but has not yet expressed his view on banning adoptions outright. Mr. Putin not only must sign the bill into law but will have huge sway over the final version of it that emerges from Parliament. Since returning to the presidency in May, Mr. Putin has used populist, even reactionary, legislation out of the State Duma, the lower house of Parliament, to drive much his agenda and to suppress political dissent. And the proposed adoption ban now presents a huge test. If Mr. Putin allows it to go forward, it would be the most forceful anti-American action of his new term, undoing a bilateral agreement on international adoptions ratified just this year and crushing the aspirations of thousands of Americans hoping to become parents of Russian orphans. More than 45,000 such adoptions have taken place since 1999. But if Mr. Putin maneuvers to block the measure, it would put him at odds with United Russia, the party that nominated him for president and has dutifully carried out his legislative juggernaut. The Kremlin on Wednesday sought to portray the Duma’s efforts as reflecting the anger of rank-and-file lawmakers. “This harsh and emotional reaction of Russian members of Parliament is well understandable,” Mr. Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told Russian news agencies. “Certainly the executive branch’s policy is more restrained but taking into account the well-known anti-Russian manifestations, Russian President Vladimir Putin understands the Russian lawmakers’ position.” The State Department did not immediately respond to the action by the Duma, but a spokeswoman, Victoria Nuland, noted the prior cooperation on the issue of international adoptions. “We have worked hard with Russia to address past problems through our new adoption agreement, which the Duma has approved,” Ms. Nuland said. “Hundreds of Russian orphans have found safe, loving homes in the United States, as have children from around the world.” Russian officials have also expressed anger that other Western countries, including Canada and Britain are considering their own version of the Magnitsky legislation. The Duma’s bill would apply the adoption ban to any other country that enacts such a law. Lawmakers showed no hesitation in approving the adoption ban on Wednesday, despite the words of caution from senior officials, not just Mr. Lavrov, but the education minister, Dmitri Livanov, and even the speaker of the Federation Council, the upper chamber of Parliament, which must also approve the ban before it becomes law. The speaker, Valentina Matviyenko, who is the highest-ranking woman in the Russian government, said on Wednesday that such a major step requires careful consideration. “One should not be guided by emotions,” Ms. Matviyenko said, according to the Interfax news agency. “The issue is very important and requires careful study. All the pros and cons should be weighed and the decision made in a cool state of mind without emotions.” She added, however, that the majority of Federation Council members are in favor of responding forcefully to the new American law. That law, which Mr. Obama signed on Friday, is named for Sergei L. Magnitsky, a Russian lawyer who died in prison in 2009 after trying to expose a huge government tax fraud and allegedly after being denied proper medical care. The law requires the administration to develop a list of Russian citizens accused of abusing human rights, including officials involved in Mr. Magnitsky’s case, and bar them from traveling to the United States and from owning real estate or other financial assets there.
Andrew Roth contributed reporting.
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