Wealthy Middle Eastern nations -- and not the United States -- should protect the thousands of refugees who are fleeing the civil war in Syria, many of whom could be ISIS sympathizers, Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump claimed on Sunday.

"What they should do is get all the countries together, including the Gulf States, which have nothing but money. They should all get together and they should take a big swath of land in Syria," the real estate tycoon told CBS's "Face the Nation." 

That territory could serve as a "safe zone" for refugees, who should return to "where they came from" once hostilities subside, Trump explained.

"'What I won't do, is take in 200,000 Syrians who could be ISIS," he said. "This could make the Trojan horse look like peanuts if these people turned out to be a lot of ISIS."

The White House hopeful also seemed to call into question the legitimacy of those seeking asylum in European countries, which have received hundreds of thousands of refugees over the past few months, the New York Post noted.

"I've been watching this migration. And I see the people. I mean, they're men, they're mostly men, and they're strong men," Trump said. "These are physically young, strong men. They look like prime-time soldiers. Now, it's probably not true. But where are the women?"

Trump's comments contrast with the Obama administration's commitment to accept some 85,000 refugees from around the world next year, as well as to take in another 100,000 in 2017, according to the Daily Mail. Angela Merkel's announcement to offer protection to up to 800,000 asylum seekers this year, meanwhile, earned the German chancellor Trump's unequivocal disapproval.

"I always thought Merkel was, like, this great leader," he noted. But "what she's done in Germany is insane. It's insane ... letting in that many people," Trump judged.

Many Germans, incidentally, seem to agree with the Republican front-runner, as Merkel's approval ratings have dropped significantly in recent weeks, the Economist reported.