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FormerPresident Trump remarked this past Sunday that he was not seriously considering sending Ukraine with advanced Tomahawk cruise missiles. In response to a query by a journalist on Air Force One, he answered, “No, not currently.” Recent accounts had suggested the Pentagon informed the administration that U.S. inventories of Tomahawks were ample to enable this transfer.

Ukrainian Defense Actions Continue Despite Weapon Shortage

While Ukrainian forces has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to carry out long-range attacks against Russia, it has nonetheless succeeded to conduct a effective operation using its domestically-produced drones and rockets against Moscow's military and key objectives, including oil depots and refineries. On Sunday, a Kyiv's airstrike hit the port facility on the Black Sea, igniting a blaze and damaging two vessels, according to Russian officials. Nearby airfields in the area also had to be closed.

Turkey Refineries Turn to Alternative Oil Supplies

Turkey's biggest oil refining facilities are increasing procurement of alternative crude in response to the recent western restrictions on Russia, according to industry sources. The country is a significant buyer of oil from Russia, along with China and New Delhi, but refiners are mirroring New Delhi's example in reducing imports.

SOCAR Turkey Refinery Expands Crude Procurement

One of the largest Turkey's refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), owned by Azeri company SOCAR, has lately acquired four shipments of crude from Iraqi, Kazakhstan, and additional non-Russian producers for December arrival, as per insiders. This represent roughly tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian crude, varying by cargo size. By comparison, oil from Russia made up virtually the entirety of the STAR refinery's crude intake in October and September, amounting to approximately 210,000 barrels per day, according to market data. SOCAR refused to provide a statement.

Another Major Refiner Also Increasing Non-Russian Buys

Another major Turkish oil processor – Tupras refinery – was additionally raising purchases of non-Russian grades of crude, as stated by two sources. The company was also likely to in the near future completely eliminate imports from Russia at one of its two main Turkish plants to continue fuel exports to the EU without breaching the European Union's upcoming sanctions. Tupras did not respond to a request for comment.

Ukraine Sends Elite Units to Pokrovsk

Kyiv has sent special forces to the heavily contested eastern city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to push back an fierce Russian offensive involving a large number of soldiers, according to Kyiv’s senior military leader. Pokrovsk, dubbed “the entrance to Donetsk,” lies on a key supply line for the Kyiv's army and has been in Russia's sights for more than a year as Moscow aims to seize the entire east Donetsk region.

Latest Updates in Pokrovsk

No fewer than two hundred Moscow's troops had penetrated the city's defences, Kyiv said recently, while analysts assessed that others were advancing on its outskirts in a pincer-shaped maneuver. In his nightly address on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the combat in the city and “results in the destruction of the invading forces.”

Zelenskyy Reveals Enhanced Air Defence System

The president, who has been urging his partners for more air defense systems to hold off Moscow's strikes, announced on Sunday that the country had reinforced its air-defence network with Germany’s support. “We have boosted the U.S.-made Patriot component of our Ukrainian air defense,” Zelenskyy declared, mentioning the sophisticated U.S.-made defense systems. Not offering further details, the Ukraine's president specifically thanked Germany and its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, for thanks.

Russian Strikes Claim Innocents, Disrupt Power

Moscow's unmanned aircraft and missiles targeting Ukraine took the lives of no fewer than six individuals, including two children, and disrupted power to tens of thousands of residents, officials said on this past Sunday. Moscow's military struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the office of the country's chief prosecutor. The children were male minors of ages 11 and fourteen, stated the nation's human rights commissioner. Russia’s strikes cut electricity to the entire east Donetsk area as well as nearly 58,000 homes in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their governors announced. The Eastern military unit said some of its personnel were killed in one of the Russian strikes on Dnipropetrovsk.