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FormerPresident Donald Trump stated on Sunday that he was not really contemplating sending Ukraine with advanced Tomahawk missiles. After being asked by a reporter on his plane, he answered, “No, not currently.” Recent reports had suggested the U.S. Department of Defense told the White House that U.S. stockpiles of Tomahawks were sufficient to allow this transfer.

Ukraine's Military Actions Persist Despite Missile Lack

While Ukraine has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to execute long-range attacks against Russia, it has nonetheless succeeded to conduct a successful campaign using its own unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles against Moscow's military and key objectives, including fuel storage facilities and refineries. On Sunday, a Ukrainian airstrike struck the Tuapse oil port on the Black Sea, causing a fire and damaging two ships, as stated by Moscow officials. Nearby airfields in the region also had to be shut down.

Turkey Refineries Shift to Non-Russian Crude Sources

Turkey's biggest oil refining facilities are boosting purchases of non-Russian crude in response to the latest international restrictions on Russia, according to market insiders. The country is a significant purchaser of Russian crude, together with Beijing and India, but processing companies are mirroring New Delhi's lead in reducing imports.

STAR Plant Diversifies Crude Sources

One of the largest Turkish refineries, the STAR refinery, owned by Azeri company SOCAR, has recently purchased four shipments of crude from Iraq, Kazakhstan, and other alternative producers for December arrival, according to insiders. This represent approximately 77,000 to 129,000 barrels per day (bpd) of alternative crude, depending on cargo size. By comparison, Russian crude accounted for nearly the entirety of the plant's supply in recent months, amounting to approximately 210 thousand barrels per day, according to trade information. SOCAR refused to comment.

Tupras Also Increasing Non-Russian Purchases

The other leading Turkish refiner – Tupras – was additionally raising purchases of non-Russian grades of crude, according to multiple sources. The company was furthermore likely to in the near future completely eliminate Russian crude at one of its primary major domestic plants to continue petroleum exports to the EU without breaching the European Union's incoming restrictions. The refiner did not respond to a request for a statement.

Ukrainian Deploys Elite Units to Eastern City

Kyiv has sent elite troops to the heavily contested eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an intense Russian assault comprising a large number of troops, as stated by Ukraine's senior commander. The city, dubbed “the gateway to Donetsk,” is located on a key supply route for the Ukrainian army and has been under Russia's crosshairs for over a twelve months as Russia pushes to control the whole east Donetsk region.

Latest Developments in Pokrovsk

No fewer than two hundred Russian troops had breached the city's defensive lines, Ukrainian officials said last week, while analysts concluded that additional forces were advancing on its outskirts in a pincer-shaped movement. In his evening speech on this past Sunday, the Ukrainian president mentioned the combat in the city and “successes in the elimination of the invading forces.”

Ukrainian President Announces Enhanced Air Defense System

Zelenskyy, who has been pushing his partners for additional air defences to hold off Russia’s attacks, stated on this past Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air-defence network with Germany’s assistance. “We have boosted the Patriot element of our national air defense,” he declared, referring to the sophisticated American air-defence systems. Without offering additional details, the Ukraine's leader specifically thanked Berlin and its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, for gratitude.

Russian Strikes Claim Innocents, Cut Power

Moscow's unmanned aircraft and missiles targeting Ukraine took the lives of no fewer than six individuals, including two children, and cut electricity to thousands of households, authorities reported on this past Sunday. Moscow's military attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, said the office of the country's prosecutor general. The victims were male minors aged 11 and fourteen, stated the nation's human rights commissioner. The attacks cut power to the entire eastern Donetsk area as well as almost 58 thousand households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their governors announced. The Vostok military unit confirmed a number of its personnel were killed in one of the enemy attacks on the region.