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Ex-President Trump indicated on Sunday that he was not actively planning providing Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles. When questioned by a journalist aboard Air Force One, he answered, “No, not really.” Recent accounts had suggested the Pentagon told the White House that American inventories of Tomahawks were ample to allow such a transfer.

Ukrainian Defense Actions Persist Despite Weapon Lack

Although Ukraine has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to conduct far-reaching strikes against Russian targets, it has nonetheless succeeded to conduct a effective operation using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles against Moscow's armed and strategic targets, such as oil depots and refineries. This past Sunday, a Ukrainian airstrike hit the port facility on the Black Sea, igniting a blaze and damaging two vessels, as stated by Moscow authorities. Adjacent airfields in the area also had to be closed.

Turkey Oil Plants Shift to Non-Russian Crude Supplies

Ankara's largest oil refining facilities are increasing purchases of non-Russian crude in response to the latest western restrictions on Russia, as reported by industry sources. Turkey is a significant buyer of oil from Russia, together with Beijing and New Delhi, but processing companies are following India's lead in cutting back supplies.

STAR Plant Expands Crude Procurement

A major Turkish refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), owned by Azeri company SOCAR, has recently purchased four shipments of crude from Iraq, Kazakh, and additional non-Russian suppliers for year-end delivery, as per sources. This amount to approximately 77,000 to 129,000 barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian crude, varying by cargo size. By comparison, Russian crude accounted for nearly the entirety of the STAR refinery's supply in October and September, amounting to approximately 210 thousand bpd, based on trade data. SOCAR declined to provide a statement.

Another Major Refiner Likewise Increasing Alternative Purchases

Another major Turkish refiner – Tupras – was additionally raising purchases of alternative grades of crude, according to multiple sources. Tupras was also likely to in the near future entirely eliminate imports from Russia at one of its two major domestic plants to continue petroleum shipments to Europe without violating the EU’s upcoming restrictions. Tupras declined to comment to a inquiry for a statement.

Ukraine Deploys Special Forces to Pokrovsk

Ukraine has sent elite troops to the heavily contested east city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an intense Russian assault comprising a large number of troops, according to Kyiv’s top military leader. The city, dubbed “the entrance to Donetsk,” lies on a major supply route for the Ukrainian military and has been in Russia's crosshairs for more than a year as Moscow pushes to seize the whole east Donetsk region.

Latest Updates in Pokrovsk

At least 200 Russian soldiers had penetrated the city's defensive lines, Ukrainian officials reported recently, while military experts assessed that additional forces were advancing on its perimeter in a encircling maneuver. In his evening address on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the fighting in Pokrovsk and “results in the destruction of the invading forces.”

Zelenskyy Reveals Enhanced Air Defence System

The president, who has been pushing his allies for additional air defences to hold off Moscow's strikes, stated on this past Sunday that the country had reinforced its air-defence capabilities with Germany’s assistance. “We have boosted the U.S.-made Patriot component of our national air defence,” he declared, mentioning the sophisticated American air-defence systems. Without providing additional details, the Ukrainian leader specifically thanked Germany and its chancellor, the German chancellor, for gratitude.

Russian Strikes Kill Innocents, Cut Power

Moscow's drones and rockets fired at Ukrainian territory killed at least 6 individuals, among them two children, and disrupted electricity to tens of thousands of residents, authorities reported on Sunday. Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, said the office of the country's chief prosecutor. The victims were male minors of ages 11 and fourteen, said Ukraine’s human rights commissioner. The strikes disrupted power to the entire eastern Donetsk area as well as almost 58,000 homes in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. Ukraine’s Vostok military unit confirmed a number of its members were killed in one of the Russian strikes on Dnipropetrovsk.