State Department Says New Anti-Russia Sanctions Don't Mean Cutting Off Dialogue

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Imposing new sanctions on Russia does not imply that Washington breaks off dialogue with Moscow, and the United States is still seeking to achieve positive results on bilateral issues, like Syrai and arms control, a US Department of State spokesperson told Sputnik.

"This does not mean the United States is cutting off dialogue with Russia," the spokesperson said on Friday. "This administration has created a number of channels of communications with Russia on Ukraine, Syria, arms control, bilateral issues and other matters. We continue to seek positive outcomes on these issues."

Earlier, the US Treasury Department announced that it would be imposing sanctions on 38 Russian businessmen and senior government officials, citing Moscow's "malign activity" in the United States and around the world as its reasoning.

Russian Foreign Ministry responded to the move by saying that Russia wouldn't "be spoken to in the language of sanctions" and warning that thousands of US jobs depend on Russian firms hit by these restrictions. The ministry also promised to "provide a harsh response to new US sanctions or any future hostile move against Russia."