Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., expressed security concerns about the recent military agreement between Russia and North Korea during an interview with Newsmax on Thursday.
The agreement, signed during Russian President Vladimir Putin's Wednesday visit to North Korea, pledges that both nations will provide immediate military assistance to each other in the event of war. According to Bacon, this development is a troubling sign for the United States and its allies.
"It's not just Russia and North Korea," Bacon said on "American Agenda." You have China buying Russian gas and helping them out economically. Then you have Iran providing about 20 drones a day to Russia, these suicide drones.
"By the way, North Korea is arming Russia with 155 mm shells and other kinds of weapons that they've stockpiled," he added. "So they've been helping prop up Putin and his war against Ukraine.
"These folks do not like our individual liberties. They don't like the free market system. They don't like the rule of law. They believe in might makes right. They're a threat to their neighbors, and they're working together."
The House Armed Services Committee member continued to highlight the stark division emerging on the global stage, noting, "This is growing, becoming the free world versus the dictatorships, and the dictatorships want to control their neighbors. And that's what this world is turning more and more to be.
"And we can't put our heads in the ground and ignore that it's happening. It's happening whether we like it or not, so we got to be prepared.
"So America has to be the leader. We're the leader of the free world; we're the indispensable power. We can't do it by ourselves," Bacon said.
The military pact between Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledges mutual aid if either country faces "aggression," ABC News reported.
The summit marked Putin's first visit to North Korea in 24 years and raised alarm among the U.S. and its allies about a potential arms deal. Such an arrangement could see Pyongyang providing Moscow with much-needed munitions for its war in Ukraine in exchange for economic assistance and technology transfers, potentially enhancing the threat from Kim's nuclear weapons and missile program.
Bacon warned that the unity between these authoritarian regimes necessitates a robust response and stronger alliances among democratic nations to safeguard global stability and security.
"We gotta keep strengthening our alliances with NATO, Japan, and Australia, and, hopefully, over time, get India closer aligned to us because they see China as a threat as well," he said.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
About NEWSMAX TV:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America!
- Find Newsmax channel in your home via cable and satellite systems – More Info Here
- Watch Newsmax+ on your home TV app or smartphone and watch it anywhere! Try it for FREE – See More Here: NewsmaxPlus.com