A far-right, pro-Putin candidate just secured the most votes in the first round of Romania’s presidential election. It means the populist Călin Georgescu is in with a chance of becoming the new president of the eastern European country – and Romania’s support for Ukraine could therefore be in jeopardy.

A hard-right critic of NATO who has praised Russia is set to face a centre-right opposition leader in a presidential election run-off in Romania that could undermine its pro-Western stance after a shock outcome in the first-round vote.