Watch the interview here 

WASHINGTON D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), Co-Chair of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission and a member of the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence Committees, today joined Fox News Sunday for a bipartisan interview with Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) on some of the most pressing national security issues facing the United States, including growing threats from adversaries like Russia and China. During the interview, conducted by Shannon Bream at the annual Reagan National Defense Forum, King stressed the urgency of confronting Vladimir Putin, explained why the Free World must continue to support Ukraine’s fight for freedom, and laid out the dangers of Chinese-controlled tech products like TikTok.

During the interview, Bream asked Senator King about President Vladimir Putin’s next steps in his illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

“Let’s talk about Ukraine, that is another hot topic. You will receive I understand a briefing on Wednesday that will update you where we are,” said Shannon Bream. ”The President said he would being willing to talk with Mr. Putin, but that they would have to leave Russia. Kremlin says that is no-go, they can't have that kind of conversation, how does this end?"

“I think Putin is extremely dangerous right now. The ironic situation that we’re in is that the better the Ukrainians do, the more dangerous Putin becomes – because he is running out of options. And what we’re seeing now is actually his go-to option in Syria, in Grozny, where he is just bombing the hell out of the civilian population and the problem is that is just below the level where he knows we'll get into it in a more serious way. So we're in a very difficult situation,” said Senator King. “I think what we've supplied to Ukrainians has been enormously important and we need to continue to do so. Putin number one priority is to divide the West in terms of our support for Ukraine, we can't fall for it.”

Bream continued by asking about America’s commitment to the conflict, and why we need to support Ukraine in their fight for freedom.

“So the White House has now asked for another $38 billion dollars in next tranche of potential spending and are Republicans who are asking for more transparency and over on the House side especially there is talk of a resolution that would allow for tracking these dollars. They are taxpayer dollars, hardworking citizens want to know where it is going,” Bream continued. “Congresswoman Kat Cammack out of Florida says this: ‘I liken it to the airline videos you do before you take off: you need to put on your own oxygen mask before helping others, I don't think as a legislator, I could support billions and billions of funding going overseas when we have such dire needs here.’ Does she have a point? 

“She has a point and it is wrong. I suggest she Google Rhineland, 1936 and Sudetenland 1938, Hitler could have been stopped at those two times when he began aggression in Eastern Europe. He wasn't and 55 million people died,” explained Senator King. “Despots want to expand. Putin has told us who he is, Maya Angelou says if someone tells you who you they are, you should believe them. He wants to reestablish the Soviet Empire – he’s said that. I have no doubt that if he had been able to sweep into Kyiv in a week – which is what he thought he could do – we’d now be talking about probes into the Baltic States or Poland. He’s gotta be stopped, it’s in the national interest to stop him. The only thing more expensive than helping Ukraine is a World War.”

Moving on to discuss threats from China, Bream asked Senator King – Co-Chair of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission – about the cyberthreats posed by the popular video app TikTok.

“You've been talking about that here at the Reagan Library [about cybersecurity], there are a number of concerns that that front. People across the agencies are talking about an app million have downloaded voluntarily and happily – TikTok. The Washington Post says it is a compromising information on millions of Americans which can later use for national security or commercial espionage and for strategic influence operations against our country,” explained Bream. “It’s been banned in some places, India bans it, should the U.S. consider a ban?”

“We definitely should consider it,” responded Senator King. “The problem is with China, there is no distinction between the government and private sector – everybody works for the government one way or another. TikTok can say we're an independent company – nonsense. Second piece, the Chinese are really into collecting data and stealing data and this is one huge way to do that. They have every keystroke, everything you enter, every comment. I think it is very dangerous and if this were Austria or Australia, I don't think we need to worry about it, but this is a country with a demonstrated propensity to intrude into our affairs and to use cyber to do so.”

Continuing discussions on China, King explained how 21st century dictators use technology to repress dissent.  

“China is top of mind this weekend, what do you make of the ongoing protests there?” asked Bream. “What is appropriate role for the U.S. at this inflection point? 

“Here is one of the real problems – the 21st century technology of repression, you can have widespread dissent in China, Russia, Iran – whether they can get out from under the thumb of despotic government that has pervasive surveillance, tapping phones, you name it, they are under total control,” said Senator King. “So the real question to me is no matter how serious the unrest is, can they ever throw off the yolk of the governments?”

Since the start of Vladimir Putin’s illegal and unprovoked invasion, Senator King has worked consistently to support the brave men and women of Ukraine fighting for their freedom. He recently celebrated President Joe Biden signing his Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act into law, and has worked to ensure Putin feels the consequences of his heinous actions. As Co-Chair of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission (CSC), and a member of the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence Committees, King is recognized as one of Congress’ leading experts on cyberdefense and is a strong advocate for a forward-thinking cyberstrategy that emphasizes layered cyberdeterrence. Since it officially launched in April 2019, dozens of CSC recommendations have been enacted into law, including the creation of a National Cyber Director.