"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."