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Ex-President Trump stated this past Sunday that he is not really considering providing Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk missiles. After being asked by a reporter aboard his plane, he replied, “No, not at the moment.” Recent accounts had indicated the U.S. Department of Defense informed the administration that U.S. stockpiles of Tomahawks were sufficient to allow this delivery.

Ukraine's Defense Actions Continue Without Weapon Lack

While Ukraine has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to carry out far-reaching attacks against Russia, it has still managed to wage a effective operation using its own drones and rockets against Russian armed and strategic objectives, including fuel storage facilities and processing plants. On Sunday, a Kyiv's airstrike targeted the Tuapse oil port on the coast, igniting a blaze and harming two ships, as stated by Russian authorities. Nearby airfields in the area also had to be shut down.

Turkey Oil Plants Shift to Non-Russian Crude Supplies

Ankara's largest oil refineries are boosting purchases of non-Russian crude in response to the latest international restrictions on Russia, as reported by market sources. Turkey is a major buyer of Russian crude, together with Beijing and India, but refiners are following New Delhi's lead in cutting back supplies.

STAR Plant Expands Crude Procurement

One of the largest Turkey's refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), operated by Azeri company SOCAR, has recently purchased four shipments of crude from Iraq, Kazakh, and additional alternative producers for December arrival, according to insiders. This represent approximately tens of thousands of barrels daily of non-Russian crude, depending on shipment volume. In contrast, oil from Russia made up virtually all of the STAR refinery's crude intake in October and September, amounting to approximately 210,000 barrels per day, based on market data. SOCAR refused to comment.

Tupras Also Boosting Non-Russian Purchases

Another major Turkish oil processor – Tupras – was also increasing acquisitions of non-Russian grades of crude, as stated by two sources. Tupras was furthermore likely to soon completely phase out Russian crude at one of its two major Turkish refineries to continue petroleum shipments to Europe without violating the EU’s upcoming sanctions. The refiner declined to comment to a request for comment.

Ukrainian Deploys Elite Units to Pokrovsk

Kyiv has deployed elite troops to the heavily contested east city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an fierce Russian assault involving thousands of soldiers, according to Ukraine's senior commander. The city, dubbed “the entrance to Donetsk,” is located on a major supply line for the Kyiv's military and has been under Moscow’s crosshairs for more than a year as Russia aims to seize the whole east Donetsk area.

Latest Developments in the City

No fewer than 200 Russian troops had breached the city's defensive lines, Ukrainian officials said recently, while analysts concluded that others were advancing on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped maneuver. In his nightly speech on this past Sunday, the Ukrainian president spoke of the fighting in Pokrovsk and “successes in the destruction of the occupiers.”

Ukrainian President Announces Strengthened Air Defence System

The president, who has been pushing his partners for additional air defences to hold off Moscow's attacks, stated on Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air defense network with Germany’s support. “We have boosted the U.S.-made Patriot element of our Ukrainian air defense,” he declared, mentioning the advanced American air-defence systems. Not offering additional information, the Ukrainian president singled out Berlin and its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, for gratitude.

Moscow's Strikes Kill Innocents, Cut Electricity

Moscow's unmanned aircraft and missiles fired at Ukraine killed no fewer than six individuals, among them 2 children, and cut power to tens of thousands of households, authorities reported on this past Sunday. Moscow's military attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, said the representatives of the country's prosecutor general. The children were two boys aged eleven and 14, stated Ukraine’s ombudsman. Russia’s strikes disrupted power to the whole eastern Donetsk area as well as almost 58,000 homes in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their governors announced. Ukraine’s Vostok military unit said a number of its personnel were killed in one of the enemy strikes on the region.