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Ex-President Donald Trump indicated on Sunday that he is not actively contemplating supplying Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. After being asked by a reporter aboard Air Force One, he answered, “No, not at the moment.” Earlier accounts had suggested the U.S. Department of Defense told the White House that American inventories of Tomahawks were sufficient to allow such a delivery.

Ukrainian Defense Efforts Continue Without Weapon Shortage

Although Ukraine has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to carry out long-range attacks against Russia, it has nonetheless succeeded to wage a effective operation using its own unmanned aerial vehicles and rockets against Moscow's armed and key targets, such as fuel storage facilities and processing plants. This past Sunday, a Kyiv's drone attack hit the Tuapse oil port on the Black Sea, igniting a fire and harming two ships, as stated by Russian officials. Nearby airfields in the region also had to be shut down.

Turkey Oil Plants Shift to Non-Russian Oil Supplies

Turkey's biggest oil refineries are boosting purchases of alternative crude in response to the recent international sanctions on Russia, according to market insiders. The country is a major buyer of oil from Russia, together with China and India, but refiners are mirroring India's lead in reducing imports.

SOCAR Turkey Refinery Diversifies Oil Sources

One of the largest Turkish refining plants, the STAR refinery, owned by Azeri company SOCAR, has lately acquired multiple shipments of crude from Iraq, Kazakh, and other non-Russian producers for December arrival, as per insiders. These purchases amount to approximately 77,000 to 129,000 barrels daily of alternative supply, depending on shipment volume. By comparison, Russian crude made up nearly the entirety of the plant's supply in October and September, totaling approximately 210 thousand bpd, according to trade data. SOCAR declined to provide a statement.

Another Major Refiner Likewise Increasing Non-Russian Purchases

Another leading Turkish oil processor – Tupras refinery – was additionally increasing acquisitions of non-Russian grades of crude, as stated by multiple insiders. The company was furthermore likely to soon entirely eliminate Russian crude at a key facility of its primary major Turkish plants to maintain fuel shipments to the EU without violating the European Union's upcoming restrictions. Tupras did not respond to a request for a statement.

Ukrainian Deploys Elite Units to Pokrovsk

Kyiv has deployed elite troops to the heavily contested eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an intense Moscow's assault comprising thousands of soldiers, according to Kyiv’s senior commander. The city, called “the entrance to Donetsk,” lies on a major logistical route for the Ukrainian military and has been under Russia's sights for over a twelve months as Russia pushes to seize the entire eastern Donetsk area.

Recent Updates in Pokrovsk

At least 200 Russian soldiers had breached the city's defensive lines, Ukrainian officials said last week, while analysts assessed that additional forces were advancing on its outskirts in a encircling maneuver. In his nightly address on this past Sunday, the Ukrainian president spoke of the fighting in the city and “results in the elimination of the occupiers.”

Zelenskyy Announces Enhanced Air Defense System

Zelenskyy, who has been urging his allies for additional air defense systems to counter Moscow's attacks, announced on Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air-defence network with Berlin's assistance. “We've boosted the U.S.-made Patriot component of our Ukrainian air defence,” he declared, mentioning the sophisticated American defense systems. Without offering further details, the Ukraine's president singled out Berlin and its chancellor, the German chancellor, for thanks.

Russian Strikes Claim Civilians, Disrupt Electricity

Moscow's unmanned aircraft and rockets targeting Ukrainian territory killed no fewer than six people, including two children, and cut electricity to thousands of residents, authorities said on this past Sunday. Moscow's military struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, according to the office of the country's prosecutor general. The children were male minors aged eleven and 14, said the nation's ombudsman. Russia’s attacks disrupted electricity to the whole east Donetsk region as well as almost 58 thousand households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. The Eastern military unit confirmed some of its personnel were killed in a particular of the enemy attacks on the region.