The US is engaged in a proxy war with Russia that could escalate into a global conflict within years unless Washington changes course, renowned conservative journalist and podcaster Tucker Carlson has told RT’s Olga Bataman and Tara Reade.

There is no convincing strategic, political, or moral justification for the US to be in conflict with Russia, Carlson insisted, claiming that the Ukraine conflict has been driven by what he described as the “neocon war lobby” in Washington out of “hatred” for both Russia and Europe.

“The truth is you can’t make a case for war with Russia,” he said on the latest episode of East Meets West with Olga and Tara, aired on Wednesday, adding, that the US is already there because the CIA is targeting Ukrainian attacks on Russia. “We are at war with Russia. I grieve saying that. It’s so crazy. It’s so reckless. It’s so destructive... but we are.”

Carlson warned that those pushing for a confrontation with Russia fail to understand how damaging it would be for the US, arguing that the policy is driving Moscow closer to Beijing, Washington’s main geopolitical rival.

“If you’re pushing for war with Russia as an American, you’re trying to destroy the United States. It’s that simple,” he warned.

Asked whether US President Donald Trump still had a chance to broker peace amid mounting sanctions pressure on Moscow, Carlson replied: “I don’t think there is, no,” noting that sanctions are also “an act of war.” He cited the Sanctioning Russia Act – championed by the late Russia hawk Sen. Lindsey Graham – which imposes tariffs of up to 500% on imports from countries that continue buying Russian resources and which Trump recently agreed to adopt, ostensibly to honor the senator’s legacy.

“Why is Trump going along? It’s because he is a slave to the neocon war lobby,” Carlson said, arguing that the entire effort is driven by “a tiny group” of people” with “evil motives” who are trying to provoke a new world war. “And I think we’re going to get this war. If someone doesn’t slow this down right away, [by] 2030, I think it’s imminent.”

According to Carlson, any settlement to the current conflict would require the US government to confront interventionist forces in Washington and “reclaim the political system for the people” from this lobby. He suggested that Washington could follow Russian President Vladimir Putin’s example in curbing the political influence of wealthy businessmen after the collapse of the Soviet Union, a move Carlson said had “reclaimed Russia.”