Poland, supported by Hungary, rejected the European Union's proposed amendments to immigration rules, leading to its obstruction for the second consecutive day on Friday during the bloc's summit.

The bloc's countries concluded an agreement in early June regarding a long-stalled review of the asylum rules followed by the bloc, but Poland and Hungary expressed strong opposition to it.

The agreement aims to share the hosting of asylum seekers among EU countries, requiring countries that refuse to host them to pay money to those that receive them.

Poland and Hungary were defeated in the vote on the plans, but the leaders of the two countries refused to support any final statement on immigration during the summit that began Thursday.

Poland also demands EU leaders to add a paragraph stipulating that "unanimity" must be adopted in making any decisions on such sensitive issues.

It seeks a text stating that immigration policy "must be based on the sovereign right of member states."

The two countries also demanded that any conclusions include a clause stating that asylum rules must have the support of every EU country. The rest of the EU leaders rejected this demand.

After they failed to reach an agreement on the first day of the summit, which lasted until the early morning hours of Friday, the leaders decided to reconsider the issue on the second and final day of the meeting.

Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said, hoping the two countries would change their stance overnight, "We hope the night has given them good time to think about the matter."

Meanwhile, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte told reporters on Friday morning, "We are aware of the discomfort of the Poles and Hungarians. That is permissible." However, he emphasized that "this agreement still stands."

As for Balázs Orbán, an associate of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán despite no family relation between them, he tweeted, "A huge battle is taking place in the European Council regarding the migration agreement. Brussels is pushing for a pro-immigration text, while the Polish-Hungarian duo fights and resists."

European diplomats also pointed out that convincing Poland would be harder than convincing Hungary.

An anonymous diplomat said, "Hungary can let it pass. What it is doing is somewhat showy. But understanding the Poles is more difficult."

The populists in power in Poland seek to organize a national referendum on the reception of refugees.

Poland is currently hosting more than one million Ukrainian refugees who fled their country after the Russian invasion.

However, Warsaw has long opposed any relocation of migrants usually coming from Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, who arrived in Greece or Italy.

Security commitments:

Away from the dispute over immigration, EU leaders during the summit supported the idea of providing "security commitments" to help Ukraine better protect itself in the future.

The conclusions reached early on Friday stated that "the European Union and member states are ready to contribute, along with partners, to future security commitments for Ukraine that would help it defend itself in the long term."

French President Emmanuel Macron, who has long called for Europe to play a stronger role in defense, pressed for discussing providing commitments within the bloc.

However, other countries in the Union noted the unclear nature of what the bloc could offer beyond what it already does, knowing that it mainly provides military training and weapons to Ukraine.

The statement comes at a time when the United States, Britain, France, and Germany are negotiating bilateral pledges to supply Ukraine with equipment, training, and support ahead of the NATO leaders' summit scheduled in two weeks.

Ukraine demands that the next NATO summit in Vilnius send a clear message that it will come under the Alliance's protective umbrella once the Russian war ends.

But it is unlikely that NATO will provide more concrete details regarding granting it membership beyond the 2008 commitment that it will eventually join its ranks.