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Ex-President Donald Trump stated on Sunday that he was not seriously planning supplying Ukrainian forces with advanced Tomahawk missiles. When questioned by a journalist on his plane, he answered, “No, not at the moment.” Earlier reports had claimed the U.S. Department of Defense informed the White House that U.S. stockpiles of Tomahawks were sufficient to enable such a transfer.

Ukrainian Defense Efforts Persist Despite Weapon Lack

While Ukrainian forces has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to execute long-range attacks against Russia, it has still succeeded to wage a successful operation using its own unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles against Russian military and strategic targets, such as oil depots and processing plants. This past Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack hit the port facility on the Black Sea, causing a fire and damaging two ships, as stated by Moscow authorities. Adjacent Russian airports in the region also had to be shut down.

Turkish Refineries Turn to Alternative Crude Sources

Ankara's largest oil refineries are increasing purchases of alternative crude in response to the latest western sanctions on Moscow, according to market insiders. The country is a significant purchaser of Russian crude, along with China and New Delhi, but refiners are following New Delhi's lead in cutting back imports.

STAR Plant Diversifies Oil Sources

One of the largest Turkey's refining plants, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), operated by Azeri firm SOCAR, has recently purchased four cargoes of crude from Iraq, Kazakh, and other alternative suppliers for December arrival, as per insiders. These purchases represent approximately tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian supply, varying by cargo size. In contrast, oil from Russia made up nearly all of the plant's crude intake in recent months, amounting to approximately 210 thousand barrels per day, according to trade data. SOCAR refused to provide a statement.

Tupras Also Boosting Alternative Buys

The other leading Turkish refiner – Tupras refinery – was also increasing acquisitions of alternative types of crude, as stated by two insiders. Tupras was also expected to soon completely eliminate Russian crude at a key facility of its two main Turkish plants to maintain petroleum shipments to the EU without violating the EU’s upcoming restrictions. The refiner declined to comment to a inquiry for comment.

Ukrainian Deploys Special Forces to Eastern City

Ukraine has deployed elite troops to the embattled east city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to push back an fierce Russian offensive comprising a large number of troops, as stated by Kyiv’s top military leader. Pokrovsk, dubbed “the entrance to Donetsk,” lies on a key logistical route for the Kyiv's army and has been under Moscow’s crosshairs for over a twelve months as Moscow pushes to control the whole eastern Donetsk area.

Recent Developments in the City

No fewer than 200 Moscow's troops had penetrated the city's defensive lines, Kyiv reported last week, while analysts concluded that additional forces were closing in on its perimeter in a encircling maneuver. In his nightly address on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the fighting in the city and “successes in the elimination of the invading forces.”

Zelenskyy Announces Strengthened Air Defence Network

Zelenskyy, who has been pushing his partners for more air defense systems to hold off Russia’s strikes, announced on this past Sunday that the country had strengthened its air-defence network with Berlin's assistance. “We've boosted the U.S.-made Patriot element of our national air defence,” he declared, mentioning the advanced American air-defence systems. Without providing further details, the Ukrainian president singled out Germany and its chancellor, the German chancellor, for gratitude.

Moscow's Attacks Kill Civilians, Disrupt Power

Moscow's unmanned aircraft and missiles fired at Ukrainian territory took the lives of at least 6 individuals, among them 2 children, and cut electricity to thousands of households, officials said on this past Sunday. Moscow's military struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, said the office of Ukraine’s chief prosecutor. The children were two boys of ages 11 and fourteen, said Ukraine’s ombudsman. The strikes disrupted electricity to the whole eastern Donetsk area as well as nearly 58 thousand households in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. Ukraine’s Vostok army group said some of its members were killed in a particular of the enemy attacks on the region.