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Ex-President Donald Trump stated on Sunday that he was not actively contemplating providing Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk missiles. After being asked by a journalist on Air Force One, he replied, “No, not really.” Recent reports had indicated the Pentagon informed the administration that American stockpiles of Tomahawks were adequate to allow such a transfer.

Ukrainian Defense Efforts Persist Despite Weapon Lack

While Ukrainian forces has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to carry out far-reaching strikes against Russian targets, it has nonetheless succeeded to wage a successful operation using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles against Russian armed and key targets, such as oil depots and processing plants. This past Sunday, a Kyiv's drone attack struck the Tuapse oil port on the coast, igniting a fire and damaging two vessels, as stated by Russian authorities. Nearby airfields in the area also had to be shut down.

Turkish Refineries Shift to Alternative Crude Sources

Ankara's biggest oil refining facilities are increasing procurement of alternative crude in reaction to the recent international sanctions on Moscow, according to market insiders. The country is a major purchaser of oil from Russia, along with Beijing and New Delhi, but processing companies are mirroring India's lead in reducing imports.

STAR Plant Diversifies Crude Sources

A major Turkish refining plants, the STAR refinery, operated by Azeri firm SOCAR, has lately purchased multiple shipments of crude from Iraqi, Kazakh, and other non-Russian producers for December arrival, according to insiders. This represent approximately 77,000 to 129,000 barrels daily of non-Russian crude, depending on cargo size. By comparison, oil from Russia made up virtually the entirety of the plant's supply in October and September, totaling about 210,000 bpd, based on trade data. SOCAR declined to provide a statement.

Tupras Also Increasing Alternative Buys

The other major Turkish refiner – Tupras – was also increasing purchases of non-Russian grades of crude, according to two insiders. Tupras was furthermore expected to in the near future entirely eliminate Russian crude at one of its primary main domestic refineries to maintain petroleum exports to Europe without breaching the EU’s incoming sanctions. Tupras did not respond to a inquiry for a statement.

Ukrainian Deploys Elite Units to Eastern City

Kyiv has deployed special forces to the heavily contested eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to repel an fierce Russian assault comprising thousands of troops, according to Ukraine's top commander. Pokrovsk, called “the entrance to Donetsk,” is located on a major logistical line for the Ukrainian military and has been under Moscow’s crosshairs for more than a year as Moscow aims to seize the whole eastern Donetsk region.

Latest Updates in Pokrovsk

No fewer than two hundred Moscow's troops had penetrated the city's defences, Ukrainian officials said recently, while military experts assessed that additional forces were closing in on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped movement. In his nightly speech on Sunday, the Ukrainian president spoke of the combat in Pokrovsk and “results in the elimination of the occupiers.”

Zelenskyy Reveals Enhanced Air Defense System

The president, who has been urging his allies for more air defences to hold off Moscow's strikes, announced on this past Sunday that Ukraine had strengthened its air defense capabilities with Berlin's support. “We've boosted the Patriot component of our national air defense,” he said, referring to the advanced U.S.-made air-defence systems. Not offering additional details, the Ukrainian leader specifically thanked Berlin and its leader, Friedrich Merz, for thanks.

Russian Attacks Claim Civilians, Disrupt Power

Russian unmanned aircraft and missiles targeting Ukrainian territory took the lives of at least six people, among them 2 children, and cut power to tens of thousands of households, officials said on this past Sunday. Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, said the representatives of the country's prosecutor general. The children were male minors of ages eleven and fourteen, stated the nation's ombudsman. Russia’s attacks disrupted power to the entire east Donetsk area as well as almost 58,000 homes in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their governors said. Ukraine’s Vostok army group confirmed a number of its members were killed in one of the enemy attacks on the region.