Washington, Jul 15 (IANS): Former US congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard has warned that US President Joe Biden's administration is driving the world towards a devastating nuclear conflict by using the Ukraine crisis to fight a "proxy war" with Russia.

"The American people need to understand the seriousness of the situation that the Biden administration and leaders in Washington have put us in," Gabbard said in a Fox News interview, RT reported.

The Hawaii Democrat, who was among the candidates whom Biden defeated to win his party's 2020 presidential nomination, called for stepping back to focus on "the big picture and the great threat that we face, which is the reality that this war is continuing to escalate".

Biden has led the charge for international sanctions to punish Moscow over its military offensive in Ukraine. The US has approved 70 billion dollars in aid, including advanced weaponry, to help Ukraine fight Russian forces.

During a visit to Israel on Thursday, Biden said Washington will continue to provide such aid indefinitely to ensure that Moscow suffers "a strategic failure" in Ukraine.

"President Biden himself says he has no idea when or how it's going to end, but we know where this escalation leads," Gabbard said.

"It leads us closer and closer to the brink of a nuclear war with Russia", RT reported Gabbard as saying.