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Ex-President Trump indicated on Sunday that he was not seriously contemplating supplying Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk missiles. In response to a query by a journalist on Air Force One, he replied, “No, not really.” Earlier reports had claimed the U.S. Department of Defense told the White House that American inventories of Tomahawks were adequate to enable such a transfer.

Ukrainian Military Efforts Persist Without Missile Shortage

Although Ukraine has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to carry out long-range attacks against Russia, it has still managed to wage a successful campaign using its own unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles against Russian military and strategic objectives, including oil depots and processing plants. On Sunday, a Kyiv's drone attack targeted the Tuapse oil port on the Black Sea, causing a fire and harming two ships, as stated by Russian authorities. Adjacent Russian airports in the region also had to be closed.

Turkish Oil Plants Shift to Non-Russian Oil Supplies

Ankara's biggest oil refining facilities are increasing procurement of non-Russian crude in response to the recent international sanctions on Moscow, according to market insiders. Turkey is a major purchaser of oil from Russia, together with Beijing and New Delhi, but refiners are mirroring New Delhi's example in reducing imports.

STAR Refinery Diversifies Crude Procurement

A major Turkish refining plants, the STAR refinery, operated by Azeri company SOCAR, has lately acquired multiple shipments of crude from Iraq, Kazakhstan, and other non-Russian suppliers for year-end delivery, according to insiders. This amount to approximately tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian supply, varying by shipment volume. In contrast, oil from Russia accounted for virtually the entirety of the STAR refinery's supply in October and September, amounting to about 210,000 bpd, based on market data. SOCAR refused to comment.

Another Major Refiner Also Boosting Non-Russian Purchases

The other leading Turkish oil processor – Tupras refinery – was also increasing purchases of non-Russian grades of crude, according to two insiders. Tupras was also expected to in the near future entirely eliminate Russian crude at one of its primary major Turkish plants to maintain petroleum exports to the EU without violating the EU’s upcoming sanctions. Tupras did not respond to a inquiry for a statement.

Ukrainian Deploys Special Forces to Eastern City

Kyiv has sent special forces to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an fierce Russian offensive involving a large number of soldiers, according to Kyiv’s top commander. Pokrovsk, called “the gateway to Donetsk,” lies on a major logistical route for the Ukrainian army and has been under Moscow’s crosshairs for over a twelve months as Moscow aims to control the whole east Donetsk region.

Latest Updates in the City

At least 200 Moscow's troops had breached the city's defensive lines, Kyiv reported recently, while military experts concluded that additional forces were advancing on its perimeter in a encircling maneuver. In his evening speech on this past Sunday, the Ukrainian president spoke of the combat in Pokrovsk and “successes in the elimination of the invading forces.”

Ukrainian President Reveals Strengthened Air Defense System

Zelenskyy, who has been urging his partners for additional air defences to hold off Moscow's attacks, stated on this past Sunday that the country had strengthened its air defense network with Germany’s support. “We've boosted the Patriot element of our national air defense,” Zelenskyy said, mentioning the sophisticated U.S.-made defense systems. Without providing additional information, the Ukrainian president specifically thanked Berlin and its leader, the German chancellor, for gratitude.

Russian Attacks Kill Innocents, Cut Power

Russian drones and rockets targeting Ukrainian territory took the lives of no fewer than six people, among them 2 minors, and disrupted electricity to thousands of households, authorities reported on this past Sunday. Russian forces struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, said the representatives of the country's chief prosecutor. The children were male minors of ages eleven and 14, stated the nation's human rights commissioner. Russia’s attacks disrupted electricity to the whole eastern Donetsk region as well as almost 58,000 households in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders announced. The Eastern army group confirmed some of its personnel were killed in one of the Russian strikes on Dnipropetrovsk.