The U.S. attempt to ban arms deal with a Russian arms exporter would harm bilateral military cooperation, a high-ranking Russian diplomat said Saturday.

The U.S. Senate passed an amendment Thursday night which prohibited Pentagon from purchasing weapons, including helicopters for Afghanistan from Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport.

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Saturday the move could affect a helicopter project of several Mi-17 helicopters worth 171 million U.S. dollars.

"Cooperation between Rosoboronexport and American institutions, including the so-called helicopter project, were very positive, and we would not like any damage to be inflicted on this by injudicious and fundamentally harmful attitudes among some U.S. senators," RIA Novosti news agency quoted Ryabkov as saying.

The amendment, submitted by Senator John Cornyn, claimed that Rosoboronexport has been facilitating weapons shipments to Damascus since the beginning of the domestic turmoil in Syria last year.

The helicopter deal was inked by the U.S. Army and Rosoboronexport earlier this year, Ryabkov said, adding Russia was against policies "which propose sanctions or quasi-sanctions regardless of the motives behind it."

Ban on purchase deals of Russian helicopters to the U.S. would require changes to the law on U.S. defense budget made for next financial year. Consequence was expected to see only after the bill passes necessary legislative procedure, said the Russian official.

Rosoboronexport, part of the Russian Technologies State Corporation, is the sole state intermediary agency responsible for importing and exporting defense and dual-use products, technologies and services. The arms corporation cooperates with more than 70 countries.