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FormerPresident Trump stated this past Sunday that he was not actively contemplating supplying Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles. After being asked by a journalist on Air Force One, he answered, “No, not really.” Recent reports had suggested the U.S. Department of Defense informed the White House that American inventories of Tomahawks were sufficient to enable such a delivery.

Ukraine's Military Actions Persist Despite Weapon Lack

While Ukraine has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to execute long-range attacks against Russian targets, it has nonetheless succeeded to conduct a successful operation using its own unmanned aerial vehicles and rockets against Moscow's armed and strategic objectives, such as oil depots and refineries. This past Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack targeted the port facility on the Black Sea, igniting a fire and harming two vessels, according to Russian authorities. Adjacent airfields in the area also had to be closed.

Turkish Refineries Shift to Non-Russian Oil Supplies

Turkey's largest oil refining facilities are boosting purchases of alternative crude in response to the latest western sanctions on Moscow, as reported by market insiders. Turkey is a major purchaser of oil from Russia, along with Beijing and New Delhi, but refiners are mirroring India's lead in reducing supplies.

STAR Plant Expands Crude Procurement

A major Turkey's refining plants, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), owned by Azerbaijani company SOCAR, has lately purchased four shipments of crude from Iraqi, Kazakhstan, and other alternative producers for year-end arrival, as per sources. These purchases represent approximately 77,000 to 129,000 barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian crude, depending on cargo size. By comparison, oil from Russia accounted for virtually the entirety of the plant's supply in recent months, totaling about 210 thousand bpd, according to market data. SOCAR refused to comment.

Another Major Refiner Also Increasing Non-Russian Buys

The other major Turkish refiner – Tupras refinery – was additionally increasing purchases of alternative grades of crude, as stated by multiple sources. Tupras was furthermore expected to in the near future entirely phase out imports from Russia at a key facility of its two major Turkish refineries to continue petroleum shipments to Europe without breaching the European Union's incoming sanctions. Tupras declined to comment to a request for comment.

Ukrainian Sends Elite Units to Pokrovsk

Kyiv has deployed special forces to the heavily contested eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an intense Russian assault involving a large number of soldiers, as stated by Kyiv’s top commander. Pokrovsk, called “the gateway to Donetsk,” is located on a major logistical route for the Ukrainian army and has been under Russia's crosshairs for more than a year as Russia aims to control the entire eastern Donetsk area.

Recent Updates in Pokrovsk

No fewer than two hundred Russian troops had breached the city's defences, Kyiv reported recently, while analysts assessed that additional forces were closing in on its outskirts in a pincer-shaped maneuver. In his evening address on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the fighting in the city and “results in the destruction of the occupiers.”

Ukrainian President Announces Enhanced Air Defense Network

Zelenskyy, who has been urging his allies for additional air defense systems to hold off Russia’s strikes, stated on Sunday that the country had reinforced its air defense capabilities with Berlin's assistance. “We have strengthened the Patriot element of our Ukrainian air defense,” he declared, referring to the advanced American air-defence systems. Without offering additional details, the Ukrainian leader specifically thanked Germany and its leader, the German chancellor, for thanks.

Russian Attacks Claim Innocents, Cut Power

Russian drones and missiles targeting Ukrainian territory killed at least six individuals, including 2 minors, and disrupted electricity to thousands of households, officials said on Sunday. Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, said the office of Ukraine’s prosecutor general. The children were two boys of ages 11 and fourteen, stated Ukraine’s ombudsman. Russia’s strikes cut electricity to the entire east Donetsk area as well as nearly 58,000 households in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their governors announced. The Eastern army group said a number of its personnel were killed in a particular of the Russian strikes on Dnipropetrovsk.