Trump Considering New Sanctions Against Putin as Syria Claims Russia Gave Notice Ahead of Attack
'We had an early warning of the strike from the Russians ... and all military bases were evacuated a few days ago,' a Syrian official told Reuters
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.
Moscow considers U.S. sanctions a form of unfair competition and any response will be in line with Russia's interests, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.
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Peskov called the sanctions drive against Russia "an idée fixe" and said Russia still considered these sanctions illegal. He also said that they were aimed at squeezing Russian companies out of global markets.
"It's nothing more than an international asset grab," he added.
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The Syrian government and its allies absorbed a U.S.-led attack on Saturday and the targeted sites were evacuated days ago thanks to a warning from Russia, a senior official in a regional alliance that backs Damascus said.
“We have absorbed the strike”, the official told Reuters.
“We had an early warning of the strike from the Russians ... and all military bases were evacuated a few days ago,” the official said.
“We are carrying out an assessment of the material damages,” the official added.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has been backed in the seven-year-long Syrian war by Russia, Iran, and Iran-backed Shi’ite groups from across the region, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah.