French far-right presidential contender Éric Zemmour, on the back foot over past support for Russian President Vladimir Putin, says Ukrainians with family links to France should be given visas, unlike those fleeing conflicts in Arab Muslim nations, reports FRANCE 24.
Zemmour warned on Tuesday that an "emotional response" risked unleashing a flood of refugees across Europe after the European Union agreed to give Ukrainians who flee the war the right to stay and work in the 27-nation bloc for up to three years.
The United Nations says more than 2 million Ukrainians have already fled the country.
Zemmour applauded Britain's more stringent approach. Britain on Monday rejected calls to ease visa requirements for Ukrainian refugees.
"If they have ties to France, if they have family in France...let's give them visas," Zemmour told BFM TV.
The writer and polemicist, who has previous convictions for inciting racial hate, said it was acceptable to have different rules for would-be asylum seekers from Europe and those from Arab Muslim nations.
Zemmour describes France as a once-great nation now in decline, its Christian civilisation hollowed out by the growing influence of Islam and immigration.