AP Photos Cruz: I don't stand with Rand on foreign policy

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz says he disagrees with his tea party compatriot Rand Paul's foreign policy views.

The two would-be 2016 Republican presidential contenders have divided over how to best handle Russia's invasion of Crimea. Both were scheduled to appear on ABC's "This Week" to discuss foreign policy, but ABC correspondent Jon Karl said Paul backed out "at the last minute."

"I'm a big fan of Rand Paul," Cruz said in an interview aired Sunday. "We are good friends. I don't agree with him on foreign policy. U.S. leadership is critical in the world. I agree we should be reluctant to deploy military force aboard, but there's a vital role, just as Ronald Reagan did. When Ronald Reagan called the Soviet Union an Evil Empire, when he stood in front of the Brandenburg Gate and said 'Tear down this wall.' Those words changed the course of history. The United States has a responsibility to defend our values."