Romania will remain a staunch ally in NATO while focusing on defense investments, newly-elected president Nicușor Dan said after a call with NATO secretary general Mark Rutte. “Romania will continue to be a staunch ally.

Nicuşor Dan won Romania’s presidency with 54% of the vote, defeating ultranationalist rival George Simion in a runoff that followed the annulment of last year’s results over foreign interference concerns.

NATO allies are expected to boost defense spending as high as 3.5 percent of their gross domestic products in response to growing threats.

Nicușor Dan swept to victory in Romania's presidential election on Sunday, defeating far-right nationalist rival George Simion with nearly 54 percent of the vote. Dan, 55 the centrist mayor of Bucharest and former mathematician who campaigned for an "honest" Romania, was victorious over Simion, 38, in a tense rerun of the contest.

George Simion suggests Romania, a member of the European Union and NATO, should stop aiding Ukraine. Ukraine considers him a national security threat.

Poland and Romania — key NATO allies bordering Ukraine — are holding presidential elections on May 18, with both votes unfolding under the shadow of Russian interference and rising far-right influence.