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Ex-President Donald Trump stated on Sunday that he is not actively considering providing Ukraine with advanced Tomahawk missiles. In response to a query by a reporter aboard his plane, he answered, “No, not at the moment.” Recent reports had suggested the Pentagon told the White House that American stockpiles of Tomahawks were adequate to allow such a delivery.

Ukrainian Defense Actions Persist Despite Weapon Shortage

Although Ukraine has been requesting 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 rockets against Moscow's military and strategic targets, including fuel storage facilities and processing plants. This past Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack struck the Tuapse oil port on the Black Sea, causing a blaze and damaging two vessels, according to Russian officials. Adjacent Russian airports in the region also had to be shut down.

Turkish Refineries Shift to Non-Russian Crude Sources

Turkey's biggest oil refineries are boosting procurement of non-Russian crude in reaction to the recent western restrictions on Moscow, according to market sources. The country is a significant buyer of Russian crude, along with China and India, but processing companies are mirroring New Delhi's lead in reducing imports.

SOCAR Turkey Refinery Diversifies Crude Sources

A major Turkey's refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), owned by Azeri company SOCAR, has lately purchased multiple cargoes of crude from Iraq, Kazakh, and other non-Russian producers for year-end arrival, according to sources. These purchases represent roughly 77,000 to 129,000 barrels per day (bpd) of alternative crude, depending on cargo size. By comparison, Russian crude accounted for nearly all of the plant's crude intake in October and September, totaling about 210,000 bpd, according to trade data. SOCAR declined to comment.

Tupras Likewise Increasing Alternative Purchases

Another major Turkish oil processor – Tupras – was additionally increasing acquisitions of alternative types of crude, as stated by multiple sources. The company was furthermore likely to soon entirely eliminate imports from Russia at one of its two main Turkish refineries to continue fuel 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 Eastern City

Kyiv has deployed elite troops to the heavily contested east city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to repel an fierce Russian offensive involving thousands of troops, as stated by Kyiv’s top commander. Pokrovsk, dubbed “the gateway to Donetsk,” lies on a major supply route for the Kyiv's army and has been in Russia's sights for more than a twelve months as Russia pushes to control the entire east Donetsk region.

Latest Updates in Pokrovsk

At least 200 Moscow's troops had penetrated Pokrovsk’s defences, Ukrainian officials reported recently, while military experts concluded that others were closing in on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped maneuver. In his nightly speech on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the fighting in the city and “successes in the destruction of the occupiers.”

Zelenskyy Announces Enhanced Air Defence Network

The president, who has been urging his allies for additional air defense systems to counter Russia’s strikes, stated on Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air defense capabilities with Berlin's assistance. “We have strengthened the U.S.-made Patriot element of our national air defence,” Zelenskyy declared, referring to the advanced U.S.-made defense systems. Not offering additional information, the Ukraine's president singled out Berlin and its leader, the German chancellor, for thanks.

Russian Strikes Claim Innocents, Disrupt Power

Moscow's drones and missiles targeting Ukraine killed at least six people, among them 2 minors, and cut electricity to thousands of residents, authorities reported on this past Sunday. Russian forces struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the office of Ukraine’s chief prosecutor. The victims were two boys of ages 11 and 14, said Ukraine’s human rights commissioner. Russia’s strikes disrupted power to the entire eastern Donetsk area as well as nearly 58 thousand households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their governors announced. The Vostok military unit confirmed some of its personnel were killed in a particular of the enemy strikes on Dnipropetrovsk.