Gabbard said Friday that all Biden has to do to prevent an armed conflict in the region is to pledge that Ukraine will not become a NATO member. She claimed that since it’s “highly, highly unlikely” that the nation will become a member anyway, Biden and NATO allies should just say it—something they haven’t done.

This leads to an important question, the former Hawaii congresswoman told Fox News host Tucker Carlson: “Why are we in this position then, if the answer to this and preventing this war from happening is very clear as day?” She added: “It just points to one conclusion that I can see, which is [that] they actually want Russia to invade Ukraine.”

Curiously, the Kremlin has also alleged that the U.S. and other Western countries are the ones itching for a confrontation. One reason, according to Gabbard, is that “it gives the Biden administration a clear excuse to go and levy draconian sanctions, which are a modern day siege against Russia and the Russian people.” Russia has also complained about how U.S. sanctions would be excessive.