State Senator Mike Doherty (R-23) said he wants to hear where the Republican Primary candidates stand on Ukraine before the veteran movement conservative issues an endorsement in the intensely watched contest for the seat now occupied by incumbent U.S. Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-7).

Doherty this morning told InsiderNJ that he is himself  “definitely not running.”

But two of his colleagues – former state Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean, Jr. (R-21) and his own district-mate, Assemblyman Erik Peterson (R-23), are engaged in the GOP Primary.

“Tom and Erik are outstanding elected officials,” Doherty said. “I’d like to see what they have to say about our foreign policy. That would go a long way toward determining who I would support. Tom Kean has done a lot of homework. I think most people, if you were a betting man, you’d say Tom’s going to win. Tom has establishment support and there are four or five other conservative people running. The math is very difficult in that situation for Erik Peterson. But he has an outstanding record as an elected official as well. They should take a strong position on what is going on in Ukraine.

“Erik Peterson should do this interview with you,” the senator added. “Let’s see where he stands with Ukraine.”

A West Point graduate and army veteran who was stationed in Europe during the Cold War, Doherty has long expressed caution about entangling American troops in foreign conflicts. He backed the presidential candidacies of Rand Paul and Donald Trump because he said he heard strong foreign policy points from both of them.

“We have a military empire that is draining tremendous resources on the American people,” Doherty said.

The U.S. last year disengaged from Afghanistan – in a much criticized withdrawal – after two decades, and subsequently passed a federal infrastructure bill backed by President Joe Biden to dedicate $1.2 trillion to challenged and failing domestic resources.

But Doherty is concerned about our government’s response to Russian troops – some estimates run as high as 100,000 – mobilizing on the border of Ukraine, and wants to be sure the United States does not fall prey to another foreign intervention, this time with conceivably catastrophic consequences. Biden himself as said a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine would be “the most consequential thing that’s happened in the world in terms of war and peace” since World War Two.

“This is a disaster in the making,” said the state senator, whose sons also served in the United States military. “It needs to be stopped. Security is a two-way street.”

The U.S. needs to “provide assurances to Russia that Ukraine will not be added to NATO – to take down tension level,” he said.

“The United States has taken specific actions over the last 30 yeas and then when Russia reacts to this then [we overreact],” he added. “Russia is responding to what’s happened over the last 30 years. A war would be ridiculous. There is not a strategic interest for an America to die. We are going to send American troops to die for a country in Eastern Europe to protect their borders. It takes two sides to tango it takes two sides to pick a fight.

“The people in Washington, D.C. are saying ‘Why is Russia being aggressive? American troops are going to have to go die in another stupid foreign war.”

For the FULL InsiderNJ interview with Senator Doherty, please watch the video below: