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Ex-President Donald Trump stated on Sunday that he is not actively planning supplying Ukraine with advanced Tomahawk missiles. In response to a query by a reporter aboard his plane, he answered, “No, not currently.” Earlier accounts had indicated the Pentagon informed the White House that American inventories of Tomahawks were adequate to allow such a delivery.

Ukrainian Military Efforts Persist Without Weapon Lack

Although Ukrainian forces has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to conduct long-range attacks against Russia, it has still managed to wage a effective operation using its own unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles against Moscow's military and key objectives, including oil depots and refineries. This past Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack struck the Tuapse oil port on the Black Sea, igniting a blaze and damaging two ships, as stated by Russian authorities. Adjacent Russian airports in the region also had to be closed.

Turkey Oil Plants Shift to Alternative Oil Sources

Turkey's largest oil refineries are increasing purchases of non-Russian crude in reaction to the latest international sanctions on Russia, as reported by market sources. The country is a significant purchaser of Russian crude, together with Beijing and New Delhi, but refiners are mirroring India's lead in cutting back imports.

STAR Plant Diversifies Oil Procurement

A major Turkish refining plants, the STAR refinery, owned by Azeri firm SOCAR, has recently purchased four cargoes of crude from Iraq, Kazakhstan, and additional alternative suppliers for December delivery, according to insiders. These purchases amount to approximately 77,000 to 129,000 barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian supply, depending on cargo size. In contrast, Russian crude made up nearly the entirety of the plant's crude intake in recent months, amounting to approximately 210 thousand barrels per day, according to trade data. SOCAR declined to comment.

Another Major Refiner Also Boosting Non-Russian Purchases

The other leading Turkish refiner – Tupras – was additionally increasing purchases of non-Russian types of crude, as stated by multiple sources. Tupras was furthermore expected to in the near future entirely eliminate imports from Russia at a key facility of its primary major domestic refineries to maintain petroleum shipments to the EU without violating the European Union's incoming restrictions. The refiner declined to comment to a request for a statement.

Ukraine Deploys Special Forces to Pokrovsk

Kyiv has deployed elite troops to the embattled east city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to repel an intense Moscow's offensive involving a large number of troops, according to Kyiv’s top military leader. The city, dubbed “the gateway to Donetsk,” lies on a major supply route for the Kyiv's army and has been in Russia's sights for over a year as Russia aims to control the entire eastern Donetsk area.

Latest Developments in the City

At least two hundred Moscow's troops had breached Pokrovsk’s defences, Kyiv said last week, while analysts assessed that additional forces were closing in on its outskirts in a encircling maneuver. In his nightly speech on Sunday, the Ukrainian president spoke of the combat in the city and “successes in the elimination of the invading forces.”

Zelenskyy Reveals Strengthened Air Defence System

The president, who has been urging his partners for additional air defences to hold off Russia’s strikes, announced on Sunday that the country had strengthened its air defense capabilities with Germany’s support. “We've strengthened the Patriot component of our national air defence,” he said, mentioning the sophisticated U.S.-made defense systems. Without providing further information, the Ukraine's president specifically thanked Germany and its chancellor, the German chancellor, for thanks.

Moscow's Strikes Kill Civilians, Disrupt Power

Moscow's drones and missiles fired at Ukraine killed no fewer than six people, among them two minors, and disrupted power to tens of thousands of residents, officials said on this past Sunday. Moscow's military attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, said the office of Ukraine’s chief prosecutor. The children were male minors of ages eleven and fourteen, stated the nation's human rights commissioner. Russia’s strikes cut power to the whole eastern Donetsk area as well as almost 58,000 homes in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their governors said. Ukraine’s Eastern military unit said a number of its personnel were killed in a particular of the Russian strikes on the region.