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FormerPresident Donald Trump stated on Sunday that he is not seriously considering providing Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles. After being asked by a reporter aboard his plane, he answered, “No, not currently.” Recent reports had indicated the Pentagon informed the White House that American inventories of Tomahawks were adequate to allow such a delivery.

Ukrainian Defense Efforts Persist Without Missile Lack

While Ukraine has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to execute long-range attacks against Russian targets, it has nonetheless managed to wage a effective campaign using its own unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles against Moscow's armed and strategic targets, including oil depots and refineries. This past Sunday, a Kyiv's airstrike struck the port facility on the Black Sea, causing a fire and harming two ships, as stated by Moscow authorities. Adjacent Russian airports in the region also had to be closed.

Turkish Oil Plants Shift to Alternative Crude Sources

Ankara's largest oil refining facilities are increasing purchases of alternative crude in response to the latest western restrictions on Moscow, as reported by industry sources. Turkey is a major purchaser of Russian crude, together with Beijing and India, but processing companies are following India's lead in reducing imports.

STAR Refinery Diversifies Crude Sources

A major Turkey's refineries, the STAR refinery, owned by Azerbaijani company SOCAR, has recently acquired four cargoes of crude from Iraqi, Kazakhstan, and other non-Russian suppliers for year-end delivery, as per sources. This amount to roughly tens of thousands of barrels daily of non-Russian supply, varying by shipment volume. In contrast, oil from Russia made up virtually the entirety of the plant's crude intake in recent months, amounting to approximately 210 thousand barrels per day, based on market information. SOCAR refused to provide a statement.

Another Major Refiner Also Boosting Alternative Purchases

The other major Turkey's oil processor – Tupras refinery – was also increasing purchases of alternative types of crude, as stated by multiple insiders. Tupras was also expected to soon completely eliminate imports from Russia at a key facility of its primary main domestic plants to maintain petroleum exports to Europe without breaching the EU’s upcoming sanctions. The refiner declined to comment to a request for a statement.

Ukrainian Sends Special Forces to Pokrovsk

Ukraine has sent elite troops to the embattled east city of Pokrovsk in an effort to repel an fierce Russian offensive involving a large number of soldiers, as stated by Kyiv’s top military leader. The city, dubbed “the entrance to Donetsk,” is located on a major logistical line for the Ukrainian military and has been in Moscow’s sights for over a year as Moscow aims to seize the entire east Donetsk area.

Recent Updates in Pokrovsk

At least two hundred Russian troops had breached the city's defensive lines, Kyiv said recently, while analysts concluded that additional forces were advancing on its outskirts in a encircling movement. In his evening address on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the fighting in Pokrovsk and “results in the elimination of the invading forces.”

Ukrainian President Reveals Enhanced Air Defense Network

The president, who has been urging his allies for additional air defences to hold off Moscow's attacks, announced on this past Sunday that the country had reinforced its air defense network with Germany’s assistance. “We have boosted the U.S.-made Patriot component of our national air defense,” Zelenskyy declared, mentioning the sophisticated U.S.-made defense systems. Without offering additional information, the Ukrainian president specifically thanked Berlin and its leader, Friedrich Merz, for thanks.

Moscow's Attacks Kill Civilians, Cut Power

Russian unmanned aircraft and missiles fired at Ukrainian territory killed no fewer than 6 individuals, among them two children, and disrupted electricity to tens of thousands of residents, authorities said on this past Sunday. Russian forces struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, said the office of Ukraine’s prosecutor general. The children were male minors aged 11 and 14, said Ukraine’s human rights commissioner. Russia’s attacks cut power to the whole eastern Donetsk region as well as almost 58,000 households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their governors said. The Eastern army group said some of its personnel were killed in a particular of the Russian strikes on Dnipropetrovsk.