Sunday shows preview: The Russia-Ukraine war, one year in

With the war in Ukraine surpassing the one-year mark on Friday, the ongoing conflict with Russia will likely dominate this week’s Sunday talk shows circuit.

Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine just over a year ago, on Feb. 24, 2022. Despite initial concerns that Kyiv would fall within days — an expectation Putin seems to have shared for his so-called “special military operation” — Ukraine continues fighting a full 12 months later with fairly extensive Western support.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared his country’s yearlong effort the “year of invincibility,” as he marked the one-year anniversary of the war on Friday.

“It was a year of resilience. A year of care. A year of bravery. A year of pain. A year of hope. A year of endurance. A year of unity,” Zelensky added.

The U.S. pledged another $2 billion in military aid to Ukraine on Friday’s anniversary and unveiled additional sanctions on Russia in coordination with its allies in the Group of Seven. This comes just days after President Biden announced $500 million in security assistance during a surprise trip to Kyiv.

Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan is set to make the rounds on the Sunday shows this weekend, making appearances on ABC’s “This Week,” NBC’s “Meet the Press,” and CNN’s “State of the Union” to discuss the war in Ukraine.

Sullivan doubled down on the U.S.’s decision not to provide Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets in an appearance on CNN on Thursday night, saying the fighter jets are “not the key capability” that Kyiv currently needs. 

“[The Ukrainians are] about to mount a significant counteroffensive,” Sullivan told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria. “From our perspective, F-16s are not the key capability for that offensive. It is the stuff that we are moving rapidly to the front lines now.”

The Biden administration is facing increasing pressure from Ukrainian officials, as well as U.S. lawmakers, to fulfill the latest request from Kyiv for more advanced military aid. 

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas), who is also set to join ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday, said last weekend that he is hopeful the U.S. will ultimately send F-16s to Kyiv.

“The fact is, the longer they wait, the longer this conflict will prevail,” McCaul said, adding, “We need to throw everything we can into this fight so that they can win… And I think the momentum is building for this to happen.” 

However, President Biden himself told ABC News’s David Muir on Friday that he is “ruling out” providing the fighter jets at the moment, adding that Zelensky “doesn’t need F-16s now.”

Over the last week, the U.S. has also warned that China is “strongly considering” providing lethal assistance to Russia for its war effort — concerns that CIA Director William Burns echoed in an upcoming interview on CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday.

“We’re confident that the Chinese leadership is considering the provision of lethal equipment,” Burns told CBS’ Margaret Brennan. “We also don’t see that a final decision has been made yet, and we don’t see evidence of actual shipments of lethal equipment.” 

“And that’s why I think Secretary [of State Antony] Blinken and the president have thought it important to make very clear what the consequences of that would be … because it would be a very risky and unwise bet,” he added.

Below is the full list of guests scheduled to appear on this week’s Sunday talk shows:

ABC’s “This Week” — National security adviser Jake Sullivan; Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas)

NBC’s “Meet the Press” — Jake Sullivan; Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska)

CBS’ “Face the Nation” — CIA Director William Burns; Reps. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.); former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice; Drew Findling and Jennifer Little, attorneys for former President Donald Trump

CNN’s “State of the Union” — Jake Sullivan; Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel

“Fox News Sunday” — Sens. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Ben Cardin (D-Md.)

Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures” — Nikki Haley, Republican Presidential Candidate; Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R); Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.); Reza Pahlavi, exiled Iranian Crown Prince