White House ‘Considering’ Additional Sanctions on Russia

The White House said on Monday it is considering additional sanctions on Russia following a chemical weapons attack in Syria, but has not made a decision yet.

“We are considering additional sanctions on Russia and a decision will be made in the near future,” White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said in a statement.

Earlier, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow considers U.S. sanctions a form of unfair competition and any response will be in line with Russia’s interests.

“The sanctions drive against Russia is becoming an idée fixe. We still consider these sanctions illegal… and we’re convinced that any economist can see open attempts to squeeze Russian companies out of global markets,” Peskov told reporters.

“It’s nothing more than an international asset grab,” he added.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich said that the government was discussing possible measures to support Russian companies hit by new U.S. sanctions, the RIA news agency said.

Dvorkovich said the government was discussing measures with affected companies, the news agency reported.