Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attends a meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia March 26, 2018. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin

MOSCOW (Reuters) - 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.

“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.