Sunday shows preview: Russia-Ukraine crisis dominates as White House is ‘convinced’ of an invasion

by Brad Dress - 02/19/22 4:14 PM ET

Fears of a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine will once again dominate this Sunday’s talk show circuit.

President Biden on Friday said he was “convinced” that Russian President Vladimir Putin had decided to invade Ukraine as about 190,000 Russian troops are reported to have gathered at the border.

Still, Secretary of State Antony Blinken — who will appear on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” NBC’s “Meet the Press” and CNN’s “State of the Union” this Sunday — has continued to urge Putin to resolve the situation diplomatically.

“The path for diplomacy remains available if Russia chooses to engage in good faith,” Blinken said on Monday, after announcing the U.S. was temporarily closing the Ukrainian embassy in Kyiv.

Conflict in the eastern region of the country intensified over the weekend, which some said could be a prelude to a full-scale invasion.

Ukrainian ambassador to the U.S., Oksana Markarova, who will appear on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” recently discussed the fighting in eastern Ukraine between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian forces, which resulted in the bombing of a musical school being.

“Let me repeat: We have lived under this threat for the past eight years,” she said on Friday. “Our assessment of the risks is the same. Ukrainians cannot afford to panic, [but] we are getting prepared to defend our country.”

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, who is set to appear on ABC’s “This Week,” has warned that Putin’s military buildup is “not a bluff.”

“If they were redeploying to garrison, we wouldn’t be seeing the kinds of things in terms of, not only combat power, but also logistical support, medical support, combat aviation that we’ve seen in the region,” he said in remarks released on Friday.

Putin has previously said he will not invade Ukraine if NATO promises not to include the nation in the security alliance. But western officials, who thus far have not agreed to Russian demands, have swatted away that condition.

Russia’s ambassador to the U.S., Anatoly Antonov, will appear on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” Antonov, along with other Kremlin officials, has repeatedly denied that Russia plans on invading Ukraine.

“Allegations of Russia’s responsibility for the escalation cannot be regarded as anything other than an attempt to exert pressure and devalue Russian proposals on security guarantees,” he said on Friday.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg will also appear on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

Stoltenberg called the conflict “the biggest security crisis that Europe has faced for decades.”

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

ABC’s “This Week,” — Austin

NBC’s “Meet the Press” — Blinken; William Taylor, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine; San Francisco Mayor London Breed

CBS’s “Face the Nation” — Blinken; NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg; Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova; Russia’s ambassador to the U.S., Anatoly Antonov; former top U.S. cybersecurity official Christopher Krebs

CNN’s “State of the Union” — Blinken; Finnish President Sauli Niinistö; Gov. Jared Polis (D-Colo.)

“Fox News Sunday” — Pentagon press secretary John Kirby; Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas)

Fox News “Sunday Morning Futures” — Sen Tom Cotton (R-Ark.); Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.); Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.); Miranda Devine