MOSCOW: His resignation last week follows the throne of troubled Boris Johnson as Britain's prime minister. One of the frontrunners in the race, Penny Mordant, Minister of State for Trade Policy, has vowed in a statement to lead the West under mounting pressure on Russia.

Military operations in Ukraine have been ongoing since 24 February, with the minister saying that she would continue to assist Ukraine, calling these initiatives "one of Boris Johnson's greatest legacies". In order to provide coordinated military assistance to Kyiv, Mordant also said that it would "double down" its cooperation with the US and the European Union.

Other pledges the candidate made to concerned Ukraine, such as advancing military training for Ukrainian troops, creating a task force to demilitarize the Black Sea, and improving information operations to "improve Ukraine's domestic resilience".

According to Mordaunt, Britain "did not seek a confrontation with Russia," who also blamed Moscow for the current crisis.

On 24 February, after the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republic requested for assistance in defending itself against Ukrainian forces, Russia began its special military operation in Ukraine. Western countries have launched a massive campaign of sanctions against Moscow in response to Russia's operation and supplying weapons to Ukraine.

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