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Ex-President Donald Trump remarked this past Sunday that he was not seriously contemplating sending Ukrainian forces with advanced Tomahawk cruise missiles. In response to a query by a reporter aboard his plane, he answered, “No, not currently.” Recent accounts had indicated the Pentagon told the White House that American inventories of Tomahawks were adequate to enable such a delivery.

Ukraine's Military Efforts Persist Despite Weapon Lack

While Ukraine has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to conduct far-reaching strikes against Russia, it has still succeeded to conduct a successful operation using its domestically-produced drones and rockets against Moscow's military and key objectives, including fuel storage facilities and processing plants. On Sunday, a Ukrainian airstrike struck the port facility on the coast, igniting a blaze and damaging two ships, according to Moscow officials. Nearby Russian airports in the region also had to be shut down.

Turkey Refineries Turn to Non-Russian Crude Supplies

Turkey's largest oil refineries are increasing procurement of non-Russian crude in response to the recent international sanctions on Russia, as reported by market insiders. Turkey is a major purchaser of Russian crude, along with China and New Delhi, but refiners are mirroring New Delhi's example in cutting back imports.

SOCAR Turkey Plant Expands Crude Sources

A major Turkish refining plants, the STAR refinery, owned by Azerbaijani company SOCAR, has lately acquired multiple shipments of crude from Iraq, Kazakhstan, and other non-Russian producers for December arrival, according to sources. These purchases represent roughly 77,000 to 129,000 barrels daily of non-Russian supply, depending on shipment volume. In contrast, oil from Russia made up virtually all of the STAR refinery's supply in October and September, totaling approximately 210 thousand barrels per day, based on trade data. SOCAR declined to comment.

Tupras Likewise Boosting Alternative Buys

The other leading Turkish oil processor – Tupras – was also raising purchases of non-Russian types of crude, according to multiple insiders. The company was also likely to soon completely eliminate Russian crude at one of its primary main domestic refineries to maintain fuel exports to Europe without breaching the European Union's incoming sanctions. The refiner did not respond to a inquiry for a statement.

Ukrainian Deploys Elite Units to Pokrovsk

Kyiv has deployed elite troops to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an fierce Moscow's offensive comprising a large number of soldiers, according to Kyiv’s senior military leader. Pokrovsk, called “the gateway to Donetsk,” lies on a key supply route for the Ukrainian army and has been in Russia's crosshairs for over a twelve months as Russia pushes to control the whole eastern Donetsk region.

Recent Developments in Pokrovsk

At least 200 Moscow's soldiers had penetrated Pokrovsk’s defensive lines, Ukrainian officials said last week, while analysts concluded that additional forces were closing in on its outskirts in a encircling movement. In his nightly speech on this past Sunday, the Ukrainian president mentioned the fighting in the city and “successes in the elimination of the occupiers.”

Ukrainian President Reveals Strengthened Air Defence Network

The president, who has been pushing his allies for additional air defense systems to counter Russia’s attacks, stated on Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air defense capabilities with Berlin's assistance. “We've boosted the U.S.-made Patriot element of our national air defense,” Zelenskyy declared, mentioning the sophisticated American defense systems. Without offering further details, the Ukrainian leader specifically thanked Germany and its leader, Friedrich Merz, for gratitude.

Moscow's Strikes Claim Civilians, Cut Power

Moscow's unmanned aircraft and rockets targeting Ukraine killed no fewer than 6 individuals, among them two minors, and disrupted power to tens of thousands of households, officials reported on Sunday. Moscow's military attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the office of Ukraine’s prosecutor general. The children were male minors aged 11 and fourteen, said the nation's human rights commissioner. The attacks disrupted power to the whole eastern Donetsk area as well as almost 58 thousand homes in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their governors said. Ukraine’s Vostok army group said a number of its personnel were killed in one of the Russian attacks on the region.