The return of former British Prime Minister David Cameron to frontline politics has surprised observers at home and abroad. Taking up the position of foreign minister, the veteran politician will now oversee the country’s ongoing support for Ukraine. Such a role will undoubtedly be overshadowed by his failure to deter Russian aggression in 2014.

The death of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II has led to an outpouring of tributes from around the world. In this regard, Central and Eastern Europe has been no exception. Such a response is emblematic of a human relationship that increasingly transcended politics.

The downfall of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson could not have come at a worse time for a besieged Ukraine. Now planning a major counteroffensive, the Zelenskyy administration had come to rely on the outgoing UK leader for arms and diplomatic support. The ongoing contest to succeed Johnson in the autumn will decide the future contours of this extensive bilateral relationship.

The United Kingdom has been one of the most prominent supporters of Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion on February 24th. There is a broad elite consensus behind the UK’s hard-line position towards Russia and strong public backing for its support for Ukraine. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been eager to emphasise Britain’s leading role in providing military and diplomatic support to the country, seizing the opportunity to try to shift the national conversation away from a series of domestic scandals.

The Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine has upended its bilateral links with countries around the world. This is no clearer than in the United Kingdom, which has forged a rather contradictory relationship with Russia over the past few decades. British politicians are now faced with pursuing a clean break with this peculiar status quo in response to today’s exceptional circumstances.

It has not been an easy winter for UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Whether it is overlooking a friend’s paid lobbying or lockdown parties at Downing Street, the British leader has often found himself in the media spotlight for all the wrong reasons. This uncertain domestic situation has had a drastic effect on the fortunes of his own Conservative Party, with recent by-election results often turning in favour of opposition parties. Polls now show steady support for the Labour Party for the first time since Johnson’s landslide election victory in late 2019. Nevertheless, the famously resilient Boris continues to hold on to his job.

A climate summit may not be the most obvious place for regional states to make their diplomatic mark. Certainly, the area’s capitals have often been viewed as simply disinterested in such matters. Despite this, November’s pivotal COP26 talks have seemingly sparked a new wave of political engagement.

Ongoing debate surrounding the United Kingdom’s relations with the Balkans has naturally been dominated by its withdrawal from the European Union. Despite this, a recent charm offensive in Serbia may prove to be a turning point for Britain’s wider ambitions in the area.

Disputes over sovereignty may drag on for decades. What can the UK learn from the conflict over Kosovo's sovereignty?

Whilst the United Kingdom negotiates a new relationship with its more immediate neighbours, the Kremlin has also proven to be a regular fixture in British politics.

Post-Brexit, the UK will no longer be constrained by the EU’s consensus-based decision-making and can re-calibrate its response in line with its domestic interests and with the pace of political urgency.

The willingness of figures on the left-wing of British politics to repeat Kremlin soundbites about Ukraine remains ubiquitous and stunning.