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Ex-President Trump remarked on Sunday that he is not really planning supplying Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. In response to a query by a journalist aboard Air Force One, he responded, “No, not at the moment.” Earlier accounts had claimed the Pentagon informed the administration that American inventories of Tomahawks were adequate to enable this transfer.

Ukraine's Defense Efforts Continue Without Missile Shortage

Although Ukraine has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to carry out long-range attacks against Russia, it has still succeeded to conduct a successful campaign using its own drones and rockets against Moscow's military and key targets, such as oil depots and processing plants. This past Sunday, a Kyiv's drone attack struck the port facility on the Black Sea, igniting a blaze and damaging two ships, as stated by Moscow officials. Nearby airfields in the area also had to be closed.

Turkey Refineries Shift to Alternative Crude Sources

Ankara's largest oil refineries are increasing procurement of non-Russian crude in response to the recent western restrictions on Moscow, as reported by market insiders. The country is a major buyer of oil from Russia, along with Beijing and India, but processing companies are mirroring India's lead in cutting back supplies.

SOCAR Turkey Refinery Expands Oil Sources

One of the largest Turkish refining plants, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), owned by Azerbaijani firm SOCAR, has recently acquired four shipments of crude from Iraq, Kazakh, and additional alternative suppliers for year-end arrival, as per insiders. These purchases amount to approximately tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of alternative crude, depending on shipment volume. In contrast, oil from Russia made up nearly all of the plant's crude intake in recent months, totaling about 210 thousand barrels per day, according to trade information. SOCAR refused to provide a statement.

Another Major Refiner Likewise Increasing Non-Russian Buys

The other leading Turkey's oil processor – Tupras – was also increasing purchases of alternative grades of crude, as stated by multiple insiders. The company was furthermore likely to in the near future completely eliminate imports from Russia at one of its two main domestic refineries to maintain petroleum exports to Europe without breaching the EU’s upcoming sanctions. The refiner declined to comment to a inquiry for comment.

Ukrainian Deploys Elite Units to Eastern City

Ukraine has sent special forces to the embattled east city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to repel an fierce Russian offensive involving a large number of soldiers, according to Kyiv’s top commander. The city, called “the entrance to Donetsk,” is located on a key logistical line for the Kyiv's military and has been in Moscow’s sights for over a year as Moscow pushes to seize the entire eastern Donetsk region.

Recent Updates in Pokrovsk

At least two hundred Moscow's troops had penetrated Pokrovsk’s defensive lines, Kyiv said recently, while military experts assessed that others were advancing on its perimeter in a encircling movement. In his nightly address on this past Sunday, the Ukrainian president mentioned the fighting in the city and “successes in the destruction of the invading forces.”

Ukrainian President Announces Enhanced Air Defence Network

The president, who has been pushing his partners for more air defences to counter Moscow's attacks, announced on Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air-defence capabilities with Berlin's assistance. “We've strengthened the Patriot element of our Ukrainian air defense,” Zelenskyy declared, mentioning the advanced U.S.-made defense systems. Not offering further information, the Ukraine's president specifically thanked Germany and its chancellor, the German chancellor, for gratitude.

Russian Strikes Claim Innocents, Disrupt Power

Moscow's drones and rockets targeting Ukraine took the lives of no fewer than 6 people, among them 2 children, and cut power to tens of thousands of residents, officials reported on this past Sunday. Moscow's military attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, said the representatives of the country's chief prosecutor. The children were male minors of ages eleven and fourteen, said Ukraine’s human rights commissioner. The attacks cut power to the whole eastern Donetsk area as well as nearly 58,000 households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their governors announced. Ukraine’s Vostok military unit said some of its personnel were killed in one of the Russian attacks on the region.