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FormerPresident Donald Trump stated on Sunday that he was not seriously contemplating supplying Ukraine with advanced Tomahawk cruise missiles. When questioned by a journalist aboard Air Force One, he replied, “No, not currently.” Recent accounts had suggested the Pentagon told the White House that U.S. inventories of Tomahawks were adequate to enable this transfer.

Ukraine's Military Actions Persist Without Weapon Lack

While Ukrainian forces has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to execute long-range attacks against Russian targets, it has still managed to wage a successful operation using its domestically-produced drones and missiles against Russian armed and strategic targets, such as oil depots and processing plants. On Sunday, a Ukrainian airstrike struck the port facility on the coast, igniting a fire and damaging two ships, as stated by Russian authorities. Adjacent airfields in the area also had to be shut down.

Turkish Refineries Turn to Non-Russian Crude Sources

Turkey's largest oil refineries are increasing purchases of alternative crude in response to the latest international restrictions on Moscow, according to market sources. The country is a significant purchaser of Russian crude, along with Beijing and India, but processing companies are following India's example in cutting back imports.

SOCAR Turkey Refinery Diversifies Oil Procurement

A major Turkish refining plants, the STAR refinery, operated by Azeri company SOCAR, has recently acquired four cargoes of crude from Iraqi, Kazakh, and other non-Russian producers for year-end delivery, as per insiders. These purchases amount to approximately tens of thousands of barrels daily of alternative crude, varying by cargo size. By comparison, oil from Russia accounted for virtually the entirety of the STAR refinery's crude intake in October and September, totaling about 210 thousand bpd, based on trade information. SOCAR declined to provide a statement.

Another Major Refiner Likewise Boosting Non-Russian Purchases

Another major Turkey's oil processor – Tupras refinery – was additionally increasing purchases of non-Russian grades of crude, according to two insiders. Tupras was also likely to in the near future completely phase out imports from Russia at a key facility of its two major Turkish refineries to maintain petroleum shipments to the EU without violating the European Union's incoming sanctions. The refiner did not respond to a request for comment.

Ukraine Deploys Special Forces to Eastern City

Kyiv has sent elite troops to the heavily contested eastern city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to repel an fierce Moscow's offensive comprising a large number of troops, as stated by Kyiv’s senior commander. Pokrovsk, called “the entrance to Donetsk,” lies on a key logistical line for the Ukrainian army and has been under Russia's crosshairs for more than a twelve months as Russia pushes to control the whole east Donetsk region.

Recent Updates in Pokrovsk

No fewer than two hundred Russian soldiers had penetrated the city's defensive lines, Ukrainian officials reported recently, while analysts assessed that others were advancing on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped maneuver. In his nightly speech on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the fighting in the city and “successes in the elimination of the occupiers.”

Zelenskyy Announces Strengthened Air Defence Network

Zelenskyy, who has been pushing his allies for more air defences to hold off Moscow's strikes, stated on this past Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air defense capabilities with Berlin's support. “We've strengthened the Patriot element of our national air defense,” Zelenskyy declared, referring to the advanced American air-defence systems. Without offering further details, the Ukraine's president singled out Berlin and its leader, Friedrich Merz, for thanks.

Russian Attacks Claim Civilians, Disrupt Power

Moscow's unmanned aircraft and missiles targeting Ukraine took the lives of at least six people, including 2 children, and disrupted power to thousands of residents, officials said on this past Sunday. Russian forces struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the representatives of the country's prosecutor general. The children were male minors of ages eleven and fourteen, stated the nation's human rights commissioner. Russia’s strikes cut power to the whole east Donetsk area as well as nearly 58,000 homes in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. The Vostok military unit confirmed a number of its personnel were killed in a particular of the enemy attacks on the region.