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Ex-President Trump stated this past Sunday that he was not seriously planning providing Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles. After being asked by a journalist aboard Air Force One, he responded, “No, not really.” Earlier accounts had suggested the Pentagon informed the administration that U.S. stockpiles of Tomahawks were adequate to enable such a transfer.

Ukraine's Military Efforts Persist Without Missile Lack

Although Ukrainian forces has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to carry out far-reaching attacks against Russian targets, it has nonetheless succeeded to conduct a effective campaign using its domestically-produced drones and missiles against Moscow's military and strategic targets, including fuel storage facilities and processing plants. On Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack hit the port facility on the Black Sea, igniting a blaze and damaging two ships, as stated by Russian authorities. Nearby Russian airports in the area also had to be shut down.

Turkey Oil Plants Turn to Non-Russian Oil Sources

Turkey's biggest oil refineries are increasing procurement of non-Russian crude in response to the latest western sanctions on Russia, as reported by industry sources. The country is a major buyer of Russian crude, along with China and New Delhi, but processing companies are following New Delhi's lead in cutting back imports.

SOCAR Turkey Plant Diversifies Crude Sources

A major Turkey's refining plants, the STAR refinery, owned by Azerbaijani firm SOCAR, has recently purchased four cargoes of crude from Iraqi, Kazakhstan, and additional alternative suppliers for year-end arrival, according to insiders. This amount to approximately 77,000 to 129,000 barrels daily of alternative crude, depending on cargo size. In contrast, Russian crude made up virtually the entirety of the plant's crude intake in October and September, amounting to approximately 210 thousand barrels per day, based on trade information. SOCAR refused to comment.

Tupras Also Boosting Non-Russian Buys

The other leading Turkey's refiner – Tupras – was additionally raising purchases of alternative types of crude, according to multiple insiders. The company was furthermore likely to in the near future completely eliminate Russian crude at a key facility of its primary major domestic plants to maintain petroleum exports to the EU without breaching the EU’s upcoming sanctions. Tupras declined to comment to a request for a statement.

Ukrainian Sends Elite Units to Pokrovsk

Ukraine has deployed special forces to the heavily contested eastern city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to push back an fierce Moscow's assault comprising a large number of troops, as stated by Ukraine's senior military leader. The city, called “the entrance to Donetsk,” is located on a key supply line for the Kyiv's military and has been in Russia's sights for more than a year as Moscow aims to control the entire east Donetsk area.

Latest Updates in Pokrovsk

No fewer than two hundred Moscow's troops had penetrated the city's defensive lines, Ukrainian officials reported recently, while analysts concluded that others were advancing on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped movement. In his evening speech on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the combat in Pokrovsk and “successes in the elimination of the occupiers.”

Zelenskyy Announces Strengthened Air Defence System

The president, who has been urging his allies for additional air defences to counter Russia’s attacks, announced on Sunday that Ukraine had strengthened its air defense capabilities with Germany’s assistance. “We've boosted the Patriot component of our Ukrainian air defence,” Zelenskyy declared, referring to the advanced U.S.-made air-defence systems. Without providing additional information, the Ukraine's leader specifically thanked Berlin and its chancellor, the German chancellor, for gratitude.

Russian Attacks Claim Civilians, Disrupt Power

Moscow's unmanned aircraft and missiles fired at Ukrainian territory killed no fewer than six individuals, including 2 children, and cut electricity to tens of thousands of residents, authorities said on this past Sunday. Moscow's military attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, said the office of the country's chief prosecutor. The victims were male minors aged 11 and fourteen, said Ukraine’s ombudsman. Russia’s attacks disrupted electricity to the whole east Donetsk region as well as nearly 58,000 households in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders announced. The Vostok military unit said a number of its personnel were killed in one of the enemy strikes on Dnipropetrovsk.