Senior U.S. diplomat David Hale met with Russia's deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, in Helsinki on Wednesday to discuss U.S.-Russian relations, the State Department said, amid tensions between the two countries over a range of issues.

The meeting between Hale, who is undersecretary for political affairs, and Ryabkov followed June 28 talks between President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan.

U.S.-Russia ties remain strained by everything from Syria to Ukraine as well as allegations of Russian interference in U.S. politics, which Moscow denies. In a recent television interview, Putin said relations were "getting worse and worse."

"The undersecretary stressed that while the United States seeks to narrow differences and foster cooperation with Russia on a number of global challenges, Russia's negative actions continue to be a barrier for progress in our bilateral relationship," the department's spokeswoman, Morgan Ortagus, said in a statement.

Without elaborating, she said the two had also discussed regional challenges in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Ryabkov told Russian news agencies that he and Hale discussed Venezuela but failed to find common ground. Russia and China are staunch allies of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, while most Western powers have backed opposition leader Juan Guaido.