LJUBLJANA, February 21. /TASS/. The US State Department has acknowledged that US ambassadors around the world have instructions to talk governments out of cooperation with Russia, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said after negotiations with his Slovenian counterpart Karl Erjavec on Wednesday.

"Just yesterday the US State Department spokesperson proudly said in public that all American ambassadors in all countries of the world without exception have strict instructions: to go and demand every day that certain states do not cooperate with Russia," Lavrov said.

"That’s because the US slapped sanctions on Russia. I think it’s enough to just hear this fact to understand on what principles the Americans build their relations with foreign countries," Russia’s top diplomat said.

Speaking on relations with Slovenia, Lavrov noted that Ljubljana "seeks to conduct its foreign policy to cooperate with those states that may provide the maximum economic and investment benefits." "Slovenia wants to preserve its cultural and spiritual identity. I don’t see confrontation with anyone here," he said. "We fully respect this multi-faceted approach."

On Tuesday, US Department of State Spokesperson Heather Nauert told reporters all US diplomatic missions abroad were tasked with talking governments in their respective countries out of business contacts with Russia, most notably in military and defense sector. The US administration believes that its recent law on sanctions helped to thwart Moscow’s deals with various partners worth more than $3 billion in total, she said.