An ex-Pentagon official is saying the United States must prepare for a war with Russia. Evelyn Farkas, a former Obama administration official, said Washington could be obliged to step in militarily if Moscow decides to mount an invasion of Ukraine in the near future.

The war hawks have been out if force lately, and Farkas is no different. According to a report by RT, she published an op-ed in Defense One on Tuesday in which she claimed that an imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine is “more likely than not.” Farkas also insisted that diplomatic talks between Moscow and Washington, taking place this week, are likely to fail and that the United States should already be getting ready for a war with Russia.

“If Russia prevails again,” she warned, “we will remain stuck in a crisis not just over Ukraine but about the future of the global order far beyond that country’s borders. Left unrestrained, Putin will move swiftly, grab some land, consolidate his gains, and set his sights on the next satellite state in his long game to restore all the pre-1991 borders: the sphere of geographical influence he deems was unjustly stripped from Great Russia.”

War rhetoric continues to mount as tensions also rise.

Russia Lays Out Security Demands At NATO HQ Amid ‘Live Fire’ Exercises Near Ukraine

Farkas’ article comes as senior diplomats from the US and Russia are meeting in Geneva this week to discuss security proposals that Moscow delivered to Washington in December. The Kremlin has requested written guarantees that NATO, the US-led military bloc, will not expand into Ukraine and Georgia, two countries that share borders with Russia. American officials, meanwhile, have expressed concern about the alleged Russian troop buildup near Ukraine, and have said that they will not make any promises about NATO membership.-RT

Russia has repeatedly denied it has any aggressive intentions towards Ukraine and has accused the US of fueling tensions by providing Kiev with arms and military support.