Sunday shows preview: Russia-Ukraine war hits two years as foreign aid remains in limbo

The ongoing Russia-Ukraine war will likely likely be the focus of this week’s Sunday talk shows, as the two-year anniversary of the invasion is this weekend.

The Senate-passed foreign aid package, which would provide billions in aid to Ukraine, is still stalled in the House. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said the movement of aid is crucial to being able to stand against Russia.

As the Russia-Ukraine war moves past the two-year mark, President Biden announced Friday that the U.S. would be imposing more than 500 new sanctions on Russia.

Biden’s announcement was also in response to the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The Russian Federal Prison Service announced Navalny had died last week. Biden accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of killing him, but Russia’s government has maintained that Navalny died of natural causes.  

In a statement, Biden said the sanctions are to make sure Putin pays the price for his actions, and to financially restrict the Russian military.

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan will make appearances on ABC’s “This Week,” NBC’s “Meet the Press,” CNN’s “State of the Union,” and “Fox News Sunday,” where he will likely talk about the ongoing war and the United States’ role in the conflict.

Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova is set to join CBS on Sunday as well, where she will likely express what Ukraine’s response to the anniversary and what it would mean to the country to receive the long-awaited aid from the Congress.

House lawmakers will also return to Washington Wednesday after a recess. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) was criticized by the White House last week for starting the recess without bringing the Senate-passed Ukraine aid package to the floor for a vote.

Johnson’s not a fan of the bill and said it lacks the border security measures the House GOP has demanded. It would provide $60 billion in aid to Ukraine.

Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and Jared Golden (D-Maine) will join CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday, where they will likely discuss the bill. Fitzpatrick and Golden authored a “Dear Colleague” letter earlier this week, where they urged fellow lawmakers to back a modified version of the bill and underscored the urgency of delivering aid to Ukraine so it would fend off Russian troops.

As Congress barrels toward another government shutdown deadline, the window for extending federal funding is closing.

A partial shutdown will begin March 2 unless Congress takes action. Appropriations covered by the Agriculture, Energy-Water, Military Construction-Veterans Affairs, and Transportation-Housing and Urban Development bills would be the first to expire, with other appropriations going through March 8.  

Several other items of discussion may be on the table in this Sunday’s shows, including the Alabama Supreme Court decision Thursday that frozen embryos are people, leading multiple health systems in the state of pause in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee urged its candidates to voice support for IVF. GOP Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake said she would be an advocate for increased access to fertility treatments if elected. She is set to join Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.”

The results of Saturday’s South Carolina primary may also be a topic of discussion. At a town hall event in Greenville, S.C., GOP front-runner former President Trump confirmed a shortlist of candidates to be his running mate.

While not on the list, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) said in an interview this week that “anybody would say yes” if Trump were to ask. Mace will join “Fox News Sunday.”

Here’s the complete lineup for the Sunday news shows:

NBC’s “Meet the Press” – National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan; Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.), Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.).

ABC’s “This Week” – Sullivan; Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.).

CNN’s “State of the Union” – Sullivan; Govs. Gretchen Whitmer (D-Mich.), Greg Abbott (R-Texas).

FOX’s “Fox News Sunday” – Sullivan; Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), Govs. Kevin Stitt (R-Olka.) and Jared Polis (D-Colo.)

CBS’s “Face the Nation” – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova; Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), Jared Golden (D-Maine.)

Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” – Reps. James Comer (R-Ky.), Jim Jordan (R-Ohio); Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo; Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake; Former Department of Defense Chief of Staff Kash Patel; New York Post Columnist Miranda Devine.