EU leaders recommit to helping Kyiv

But talks on migrants on hold as Poland and Hungary refuse to reach consensus

European Union leaders meeting for their summit in Brussels have agreed on security commitments to Ukraine for "as long as it takes", but failed so far to find consensus on the contentious migration reform.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict, migration and the EU's China policy were among key topics discussed during the summit on Thursday and Friday.

"The EU and member states stand ready to contribute, together with partners, to future security commitments to Ukraine, which will help Ukraine defend itself in the long term," the 27 EU heads of state agreed in conclusions of the summit, with the first day of talks ending on early Friday.

The EU will provide Ukraine with 50 billion euros ($54.3 billion) in aid for 2024-27, the bloc's president said on June 20.

EU leaders have agreed to continue funding weapon supplies to Ukraine through the European Peace Facility, an off-budget fund by member states. They also pledged to expand the EU's initiative to train Ukrainian troops and explore the possibility of EU military missions to Ukraine if the conditions were deemed suitable.

EU officials expressed that the initiative, put forward by France, was aimed at sending "a very clear political signal" to Ukraine and Russia.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Thursday that "we need a strategy on how to support Ukraine in the fight for independence, integrity and sovereignty".

But countries such as Ireland, Malta and Austria expressed concerns about the clarity of such commitments.

"We're supporting (Ukraine) financially and politically. ... But what we can't do as a country is engage in a commitment around mutual defense because that would breach our policy of neutrality," Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said ahead of the summit.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban told state radio on Friday that Hungary rejects the European Commission's plans to grant more money to Ukraine and is not willing to contribute additional money to finance the EU's increased debt service costs.

Orban said it was a "ridiculous" request from the commission that Hungary should contribute more money, when Budapest — along with Poland — has not received funds from the EU's Recovery Fund amid a rule of law dispute.

On another key plan to overhaul the EU's rules on migration and asylum, EU leaders could not come to an agreement despite heated debate into the early hours of Friday and efforts by European Council President Charles Michel and French and German leaders trying to find compromise.

Hungary and Poland insisted that their concerns should be addressed before any final conclusions on migration at the summit.

"I don't understand why the European Commission and European institutions spent billions of euros to help Turkiye when it took in a million Syrian migrants, but they were not willing to help Poland, which took in millions of refugees from Ukraine," Polish President Andrzej Duda told broadcaster Radio Zet.

Controversial issue

Migration has been one of the most controversial issues for the bloc since the 2015 migration crisis.

The EU agreed by a qualified majority vote a few weeks ago on a reform of rules on the relocation of migrants and procedures for processing asylum-seekers. The reform would install a stricter asylum procedure at the border for migrants who are regarded unlikely to be accepted. It would also create a system that let EU states choose between accepting a certain number of migrants each year or paying a joint EU fund.

Hungary and Poland have rejected the mandatory relocations.

Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said later on Friday as the talks resumed: "There are two options. Either we continue, or we give up and say there'll be no summit statement, nothing. But there's a clear willingness among the great majority of countries to try."

chenweihua@chinadaily.com.cn