Story highlights "Donald Trump is wrong that America should withdraw from the world and abandon our allies," Cruz says

Washington (CNN) Texas Sen. Ted Cruz on Tuesday slammed his GOP presidential rival Donald Trump in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Brussels for calling for a diminished U.S. role in the NATO alliance just a day earlier.

"It is striking that the day after Donald Trump called for weakening NATO, withdrawing from NATO, we see Brussels, where NATO is headquartered, the subject of a radical Islamic terror attack," Cruz said Tuesday in a news conference hours after terrorists struck civilian targets in Brussels, where the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is headquartered.

"Donald Trump is wrong that America should withdraw from the world and abandon our allies. Donald Trump is wrong that American should retreat from Europe, retreat from NATO, hand Putin a major victory and while he's at it hand ISIS a major victory," Cruz said.

Cruz's comments come as the states of Arizona and Utah are voting Tuesday in the Republican presidential race and as the Texas senator looks to close Trump's lead in the delegate count.