Acting Romanian President Ilie Bolojan held a phone call with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to discuss the alliance's security commitments. Rutte thanked Romania for its contributions to NATO and praised the country’s decision to increase its defense budget. He reaffirmed both NATO ’s and the U.S.'s strong commitment to collective defense and Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which guarantees protection in the event of an attack on an allied nation. Bolojan, in turn, emphasized that