U.S. Saw an Opportunity While It Pushed to Arm Ukraine NYT | Top Stories By: John Ismay 9 January 2025 at 23:58 The White House seized a rare chance to undermine Russia and build up regional allies as it built a coalition to support the Ukrainians. © Nicole Tung for The New York TimesMembers of the Ukrainian National Guard preparing to fire from their position, near Selydove, Ukraine, last October.