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Ex-President Donald Trump remarked on Sunday that he was not actively planning providing Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles. When questioned by a journalist on Air Force One, he responded, “No, not currently.” Earlier accounts had indicated the U.S. Department of Defense informed the administration that U.S. stockpiles of Tomahawks were ample to allow this delivery.

Ukrainian Defense Efforts Persist Without Weapon Lack

Although Ukrainian forces has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to conduct long-range attacks against Russia, it has nonetheless managed to wage a successful campaign using its own drones and rockets against Moscow's military and key objectives, including oil depots and refineries. This past Sunday, a Ukrainian airstrike struck the Tuapse oil port on the coast, igniting a fire and damaging two ships, according to Russian officials. Adjacent airfields in the region also had to be closed.

Turkish Refineries Turn to Non-Russian Crude Supplies

Turkey's biggest oil refineries are boosting purchases of alternative crude in reaction to the latest western sanctions on Moscow, as reported by market insiders. The country is a major purchaser of oil from Russia, together with Beijing and India, but refiners are following New Delhi's example in reducing supplies.

SOCAR Turkey Refinery Diversifies Oil Procurement

A major Turkish refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), operated by Azerbaijani firm SOCAR, has lately purchased multiple cargoes of crude from Iraqi, Kazakh, and additional non-Russian producers for year-end delivery, as per sources. These purchases amount to approximately 77,000 to 129,000 barrels per day (bpd) of alternative supply, varying by shipment volume. In contrast, oil from Russia accounted for nearly the entirety of the STAR refinery's supply in October and September, amounting to about 210 thousand bpd, according to trade information. SOCAR refused to comment.

Another Major Refiner Also Increasing Alternative Purchases

The other major Turkish refiner – Tupras refinery – was additionally raising acquisitions of alternative grades of crude, according to two sources. Tupras was furthermore expected to soon completely eliminate imports from Russia at a key facility of its two major Turkish plants to continue petroleum shipments to Europe without violating the EU’s upcoming restrictions. Tupras did not respond to a inquiry for comment.

Ukraine Deploys Special Forces to Pokrovsk

Kyiv has deployed special forces to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an intense Moscow's offensive comprising thousands of soldiers, as stated by Ukraine's top military leader. Pokrovsk, called “the gateway to Donetsk,” lies on a major supply route for the Kyiv's military and has been under Russia's sights for more than a year as Moscow aims to seize the entire eastern Donetsk area.

Recent Developments in the City

No fewer than two hundred Russian troops had penetrated Pokrovsk’s defences, Ukrainian officials said recently, while analysts assessed that additional forces were closing in on its perimeter in a encircling maneuver. In his evening speech on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the combat in the city and “successes in the elimination of the invading forces.”

Zelenskyy Reveals Strengthened Air Defence Network

The president, who has been urging his partners for additional air defense systems to counter Russia’s attacks, announced on Sunday that the country had reinforced its air-defence network with Berlin's support. “We've strengthened the Patriot element of our national air defence,” he declared, mentioning the sophisticated American defense systems. Without offering additional information, the Ukrainian president specifically thanked Germany and its chancellor, the German chancellor, for thanks.

Moscow's Strikes Claim Innocents, Cut Electricity

Russian unmanned aircraft and rockets fired at Ukraine killed at least 6 individuals, among them two children, and disrupted power to thousands of residents, authorities reported on Sunday. Moscow's military struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, said the office of the country's prosecutor general. The victims were two boys aged 11 and fourteen, stated Ukraine’s ombudsman. Russia’s attacks cut power to the entire east Donetsk region as well as almost 58 thousand homes in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their governors said. The Eastern army group said some of its members were killed in one of the enemy strikes on the region.