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Ex-President Donald Trump indicated this past Sunday that he was not actively considering sending Ukraine with advanced Tomahawk missiles. In response to a query by a journalist on his plane, he responded, “No, not really.” Recent accounts had suggested the U.S. Department of Defense informed the White House that U.S. stockpiles of Tomahawks were sufficient to enable such a transfer.

Ukrainian Military Efforts Persist Despite Missile Shortage

Although Ukraine has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to carry out far-reaching attacks against Russia, it has nonetheless succeeded to conduct a effective operation using its own unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles against Moscow's military and key targets, such as fuel storage facilities and refineries. On Sunday, a Kyiv's drone attack targeted the port facility on the Black Sea, causing a blaze and damaging two ships, according to Russian authorities. Nearby Russian airports in the region also had to be shut down.

Turkey Refineries Shift to Non-Russian Crude Supplies

Ankara's largest oil refineries are increasing procurement of alternative crude in reaction to the recent international sanctions on Moscow, as reported by market insiders. Turkey is a major purchaser of oil from Russia, along with Beijing and India, but refiners are following India's lead in cutting back imports.

STAR Plant Expands Crude Sources

One of the largest Turkey's refining plants, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), owned by Azerbaijani firm SOCAR, has lately purchased multiple shipments of crude from Iraqi, Kazakhstan, and additional non-Russian suppliers for year-end delivery, according to sources. These purchases amount to roughly 77,000 to 129,000 barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian crude, depending on shipment volume. In contrast, Russian crude made up nearly the entirety of the plant's supply in recent months, amounting to approximately 210 thousand barrels per day, according to trade information. SOCAR declined to comment.

Tupras Also Boosting Alternative Purchases

Another leading Turkey's oil processor – Tupras – was additionally increasing purchases of non-Russian types of crude, as stated by multiple sources. Tupras was furthermore likely to in the near future entirely eliminate Russian crude at one of its primary major Turkish refineries to continue fuel exports to Europe without breaching the EU’s upcoming sanctions. Tupras declined to comment to a inquiry for a statement.

Ukrainian Sends Elite Units to Pokrovsk

Ukraine has deployed elite troops to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to repel an fierce Russian offensive involving a large number of troops, as stated by Kyiv’s senior military leader. Pokrovsk, called “the gateway to Donetsk,” is located on a key supply line for the Ukrainian army and has been under Moscow’s sights for more than a twelve months as Russia pushes to control the entire east Donetsk region.

Latest Developments in the City

No fewer than two hundred Moscow's soldiers had breached Pokrovsk’s defences, Kyiv reported recently, while analysts assessed that others were closing in on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped movement. In his nightly speech on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the combat in Pokrovsk and “successes in the destruction of the occupiers.”

Ukrainian President Announces Strengthened Air Defence System

The president, who has been pushing his partners for more air defences to counter Russia’s strikes, announced on this past Sunday that Ukraine had strengthened its air-defence capabilities with Berlin's support. “We've strengthened the U.S.-made Patriot element of our Ukrainian air defense,” Zelenskyy declared, referring to the advanced U.S.-made air-defence systems. Without offering additional details, the Ukraine's leader specifically thanked Germany and its chancellor, the German chancellor, for gratitude.

Russian Attacks Kill Innocents, Disrupt Power

Russian drones and missiles targeting Ukrainian territory took the lives of at least 6 individuals, among them 2 minors, and cut power to thousands of households, authorities said on Sunday. Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, said the representatives of Ukraine’s chief prosecutor. The children were male minors aged eleven and 14, said the nation's ombudsman. The attacks cut power to the whole eastern Donetsk area as well as almost 58 thousand households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their governors said. Ukraine’s Vostok military unit confirmed some of its members were killed in one of the Russian strikes on Dnipropetrovsk.