Russia may next month sign an agreement with the United States to ensure the safety of Russian children adopted by U.S. families, Russia's ombudsman for child rights said on Friday.

"This issue is under the personal control of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton," Pavel Astakhov said a news conference on Friday.

Russia suspended the adoptions last year after a Tennessee woman sent her 7-year-old adoptive son back to Russia. He was put on a plane on his own with a note from the woman saying she did not want him as he was "psychotic."

Astakhov said in January that 17 Russian children have died in the United States as a result of child abuse since the adoptions started more than 15 years ago.

The latest official figures show that about 60,000 children born in Russia have been adopted by families in the United States.

MOSCOW, April 8 (RIA Novosti)