Washington on Tuesday blacklisted 38 individuals and entities over Russian activities in Ukraine, in a move that Moscow slammed as "destructive" and said would be a roadblock to improving the already frayed relations between the two countries.

The latest round of sanctions includes 19 people and 19 organizations, freezes their assets in US banks and prohibits US companies from doing any business with them, the US Treasury Department said in a statement.

"These designations will maintain pressure on Russia to work toward a diplomatic solution," US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in the statement.

"This administration is committed to a diplomatic process that guarantees Ukrainian sovereignty, and there should be no sanctions relief until Russia meets its obligations under the Minsk agreements," Mnuchin added.

However, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the penalty "will not have a desired effect," noting that it will hamper efforts to improving bilateral ties and is not beneficial for the current atmosphere of world politics.

Lavrov made the remarks after meeting his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian.

"Yet again, sanctions are implemented out of thin air," he said, noting that the expansion of sanctions imposed by Washington shows an "anti-Russia obsession" that has "crossed the line".