Washington CNN —President Joe Biden is leading the world’s richest democracies in sending a beefed-up message to Russian President Vladimir Putin that the West will not forsake Ukraine despite political shocks casting doubts over its commitment. A flurry of new Western plans to help UkraineStill, the latest Western plans to help Ukraine send a strong message of intent. The sanctions target foreign financial firms aiding Putin’s war effort, restrict Russian access to some US software and information technology. Russian advances on the battlefieldThese are substantial and credible political, economic and political demonstrations of support for Ukraine. Not surprisingly, Zelensky has always chafed at the self-imposed limits of Western support for his war effort that are a symptom of Biden’s core aim of avoiding a direct NATO confrontation with Russia.

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Persons: Joe Biden, Vladimir Putin, Biden, Volodymyr Zelensky, ” Biden, “, Donald Trump, Trump, lionizes Putin, wobbling, —, George H.W, George H.W . Bush, Janet Yellen, ” — Biden, Zelensky, ” Jake Sullivan, Wesley Clark, ” Clark, they’ve, ”, Kamala Harris, Sullivan, John Kirby, Putin Organizations: Washington CNN, Republican Party, Capitol, Republican, CNN, NATO, Big, Union, Ukraine, Trump, Biden, Air Force, Hudson Institute, Kremlin, Kyiv, West, White House National Security Council Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Italy, Normandy, Europe, United States, France, Germany, George H.W ., Russia, Britain, Japan, Canada, NATO, Washington, Kyiv, Cuba, China, Iran, Israel, Ukrainian, Switzerland