Hungarian right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that he must oppose French leader Emmanuel Macron, calling him a key player in EU pro-immigrant agenda. Both nations’ futures are at stake, he added.

Responding to a question from Le Monde at a press event in Budapest on Thursday, the Hungarian PM said that he has “good relations” with Macron, but when it comes to views of migration, the two are bitter rivals.

“It is nothing personal, but a matter of our countries’ futures,” Orban noted.

If what he wants with regards to migration materializes in Europe, that would be bad for Hungary, therefore I must fight him.

Emmanuel Macron is “the leader of the pro-immigration forces” in the EU, the prime minister explained.

In the same press conference, Orban blasted the German media for pressuring Budapest into adopting an ‘open door’ policy with regards to migrants.

“I don’t see any compromise possible here,” he told reporters, adding that German politics “does not respect” the Hungarians’ decision not to become an “immigrant nation.”

Also on rt.com Macron doubles down after Orban & Salvini declare opposition to him as ‘pro-migration leader’

Viktor Orban changed his tone when he spoke about Italian PM Matteo Salvini, whom he called a “hero” for closing down ports to ships packed with African migrants. He voiced high hopes for Italy’s recent idea to unite efforts with the right-wing government of Poland to fight for “the renaissance of European values.”

Both Salvini and Orban have been vocal critics of the migration models proposed by Brussels and strongly defended their choice to shield their nations from the influx of migrants, primarily coming from Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East.

Their views frequently clashed with French President Emmanuel Macron’s vision of solidarity. He had been accusing the politicians in Rome and Budapest of “national selfishness” and a lack of desire to help other member states tackle the migration crisis. The defiant leaders’ plans to reject migrants reveal their “cynical approach” to the problem, the president argued.

Orban fought back, saying that Macron doesn’t respects Hungarian interests and instead prefers to “kick the Central European countries.” Salvini, in turn, accused the French president of arrogance and “insulting” the Italian people.

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