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Ex-President Trump stated this past Sunday that he was not really considering sending Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. After being asked by a reporter aboard Air Force One, he responded, “No, not currently.” Recent reports had suggested the Pentagon informed the White House that American inventories of Tomahawks were ample to allow this delivery.

Ukrainian Military Efforts Continue Despite Missile Shortage

Although Ukraine has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to conduct long-range strikes against Russia, it has still succeeded to conduct a successful operation using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and rockets against Moscow's military and key targets, such as oil depots and refineries. This past Sunday, a Ukrainian airstrike struck the Tuapse oil port on the Black Sea, igniting a blaze and damaging two vessels, as stated by Russian officials. Nearby airfields in the area also had to be shut down.

Turkish Refineries Shift to Alternative Oil Supplies

Turkey's biggest oil refineries are boosting purchases of alternative crude in response to the latest international sanctions on Russia, as reported by market insiders. The country is a major buyer of oil from Russia, along with Beijing and New Delhi, but processing companies are mirroring India's lead in cutting back supplies.

SOCAR Turkey Plant Expands Crude Sources

A major Turkey's refining plants, the STAR refinery, operated by Azerbaijani firm SOCAR, has recently acquired four shipments of crude from Iraq, Kazakhstan, and other alternative producers for December arrival, as per sources. This amount to approximately tens of thousands of barrels daily of non-Russian crude, depending on shipment volume. In contrast, Russian crude accounted for virtually the entirety of the plant's supply in October and September, amounting to about 210 thousand barrels per day, based on trade data. SOCAR refused to provide a statement.

Tupras Also Increasing Non-Russian Purchases

The other leading Turkish oil processor – Tupras – was also increasing acquisitions of non-Russian grades of crude, as stated by multiple insiders. Tupras was furthermore expected to in the near future entirely phase out imports from Russia at a key facility of its primary major domestic plants to maintain petroleum exports to Europe without violating the EU’s incoming sanctions. Tupras did not respond to a inquiry for comment.

Ukrainian Deploys Elite Units to Eastern City

Kyiv has deployed elite troops to the embattled east city of Pokrovsk in an effort to repel an intense Moscow's offensive comprising a large number of soldiers, according to Ukraine's senior commander. Pokrovsk, called “the gateway to Donetsk,” lies on a major logistical line for the Ukrainian military and has been in Russia's sights for more than a year as Moscow aims to control the whole eastern Donetsk area.

Latest Developments in the City

At least 200 Russian troops had penetrated Pokrovsk’s defences, Kyiv reported recently, while military experts assessed that additional forces were advancing on its perimeter in a encircling maneuver. In his evening address on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the combat in Pokrovsk and “results in the elimination of the occupiers.”

Ukrainian President Announces Strengthened Air Defence System

The president, who has been urging his partners for more air defences to hold off Russia’s strikes, announced on this past Sunday that the country had reinforced its air-defence network with Germany’s assistance. “We've strengthened the U.S.-made Patriot element of our national air defence,” he declared, mentioning the advanced U.S.-made defense systems. Not offering additional information, the Ukrainian leader singled out Berlin and its leader, the German chancellor, for thanks.

Moscow's Attacks Claim Civilians, Disrupt Electricity

Moscow's drones and missiles fired at Ukrainian territory took the lives of at least six people, among them two minors, and cut power to tens of thousands of residents, officials said on this past Sunday. Moscow's military attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the representatives of the country's chief prosecutor. The children were two boys aged 11 and fourteen, said the nation's human rights commissioner. Russia’s attacks disrupted electricity to the whole eastern Donetsk region as well as almost 58 thousand households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders announced. The Eastern military unit confirmed some of its members were killed in one of the Russian attacks on Dnipropetrovsk.