What’s next in Ukraine? Is the Russian army almost out of gas or are we about to see Putin escalate in terrible ways? Or both, since those options don’t contradict each other? An array of military and diplomatic experts are booked this morning to assess the state of play. The lead guest is defense secretary Lloyd Austin, who’s been overseas this week huddling with the defense ministers of European powers at NATO HQ. He’ll speak to “Face the Nation” about where he thinks the conflict is going and whether Russia still stands a chance of achieving any of its objectives. The head of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, is also scheduled to discuss the possibility of Russia targeting western weapons convoys in Ukraine and what sort of response that might draw. He’ll share his thoughts with “Meet the Press.”

Foreign diplomats are on tap to appeal to American viewers to keep up their support for Zelensky and a Europe free of Russian intimidation. Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.S., Oksana Markarova, will follow Austin on “Face the Nation” while Poland’s ambassador to the U.S., Marek Magierowski, talks with “State of the Union” about the prospects of his country sending MiGs to Ukraine and a Russian missile strike straying across the border. Kaja Kallas, the prime minister of Estonia, is set for the same show to share her thoughts on about the state of the threat from Russia. Do the Baltics feel more or less frightened by Russian imperialism, all in all, when they consider the state of the Russian army and Putin’s willingness to use it?

Finally, a ubiquitous presence on the Sunday shows who’s been scarce lately will make his return. Anthony Fauci is set for “This Week” to discuss the rise in cases in Europe as the BA.2 Omicron variant spreads there and the chances that he’ll retire before the year is out. The full line-up is at the AP.