Sunday shows preview: Trump's Russia-Ukraine moves rattle allies; Dems play defense against DOGE
President Trump’s push to secure a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine has rattled allies over the Atlantic and has unsettled some Republican Senators who want to see Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin punished for directing his military to invade Kyiv back in February 2022.
Trump spoke with both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday. The commander-in-chief later that day said he will meet with Putin in person to discuss the peace agreement. Ukraine’s president expressed dissatisfaction with Trump dialing Moscow first before Kyiv, but he emphasized that Ukraine would not accept any deal forged between the U.S. and Russia without directly participating in the negotiations.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also made headlines this week over Wednesday remarks. He said that Ukraine as part of the peace talks should not hope to be included in the NATO alliance or get back the territory it had before Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, comments he appeared to have walked back a day later. Zelensky said on Friday that Ukraine’s support for joining the alliance had been wobbly even before Trump took office on Jan. 20.
In Washington, Democratic Party lawmakers on Capitol Hill are attempting to play defense as Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), anchored by tech mogul and close ally Elon Musk, has intensified its push to reign in government spending, remove red tape and in some instances eliminate entire departments or agencies.
On top of that, the current administration has directed leaders of various government agencies to begin terminating workers who are in their probationary period. Cuts have been reported at the Department of Interior, Veterans Affairs and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
In the coming days, U.S. officials will begin to discuss peace talks with their Ukrainian and Russian counterparts in Saudi Arabia, multiple outlets reported on Saturday. Zelensky met with Vice President Vance on Friday after which Ukraine’s president praised Trump’s determination to end the nearly three-year war in Eastern Europe. Zelensky will be on NBC’s “Meet the Press," where he will likely discuss Ukraine’s demands during the negotiations and elaborate on the upcoming meeting in Saudi Arabia.
On Thursday, the House Budget Committee passed a budget resolution after a lengthy Thursday night meeting. It was approved with a party-line 21-16 vote and is now set to be considered by the full chamber. Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.) is scheduled to be on NewsNation’s “The Hill Sunday” where he will likely talk about the House budget negotiations and the latest development around the potential peace deal in the Russia-Ukraine war.
National Security Adviser Mike Waltz is reportedly one of the U.S. officials who is set to travel to Saudi Arabia as part of the delegation negotiating the peace agreement for the Eastern Europe conflict. He is set to appear on “Fox News Sunday” where he will likely discuss the trip to the Middle East and where talks about the ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia stand.
All of these topics and more will likely be discussed on this week’s Sunday talk shows:
NewsNation’s “The Hill Sunday:” Reps. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.); Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.); Historian Richard Brookhiser.
ABC’s “This Week:” Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.); Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.).
NBC’s “Meet the Press:” Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
CNN’s “State of the Union:” White House border czar Tom Homan; Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.); Reps. Laura Gillen (D-N.Y.) and Riley Moore (R-W.Va.).
CBS’ “Face the Nation:” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.); Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) and Jamie Raskin (D-Md); the director of the White House National Economic Council Kevin Hassett.
“Fox News Sunday:” — National security adviser Mike Waltz; Sens. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), and Tim Kaine (D-Va.).
FOX’s “Sunday Morning Futures:” Trump’s Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff; Homan; House GOP Conference Chair Lisa McClain (R-Mich.); Anduril Industries Founder Palmer Luckey.
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