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FormerPresident Trump stated this past Sunday that he is not seriously contemplating providing Ukrainian forces with advanced Tomahawk missiles. After being asked by a journalist on his plane, he replied, “No, not currently.” Recent reports had indicated the Pentagon told the White House that American inventories of Tomahawks were sufficient to enable such a delivery.

Ukraine's Military Actions Continue Without Missile Lack

Although Ukraine has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to execute far-reaching attacks against Russia, it has nonetheless succeeded to conduct a successful campaign using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles against Moscow's armed and key targets, such as fuel storage facilities and refineries. On Sunday, a Kyiv's drone attack struck the port facility on the Black Sea, igniting a blaze and harming two ships, according to Russian authorities. Nearby Russian airports in the region also had to be shut down.

Turkish Refineries Shift to Non-Russian Oil Supplies

Turkey's biggest oil refineries are increasing purchases of non-Russian crude in reaction to the latest international restrictions on Moscow, according to market insiders. The country is a significant buyer of oil from Russia, along with Beijing and India, but refiners are following India's example in cutting back imports.

SOCAR Turkey Refinery Diversifies Oil Procurement

A major Turkey's refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), owned by Azerbaijani company SOCAR, has recently acquired multiple shipments of crude from Iraq, Kazakhstan, and other alternative suppliers for year-end arrival, according to sources. These purchases amount to roughly tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian crude, depending on cargo size. In contrast, oil from Russia made up nearly all of the plant's crude intake in recent months, totaling about 210 thousand barrels per day, according to market data. SOCAR refused to provide a statement.

Another Major Refiner Likewise Boosting Alternative Buys

Another leading Turkish oil processor – Tupras refinery – was also raising purchases of alternative types of crude, according to two sources. Tupras was also expected to in the near future completely phase out Russian crude at one of its primary main domestic refineries to continue petroleum shipments to the EU without violating the European Union's upcoming restrictions. Tupras did not respond to a inquiry for a statement.

Ukraine Sends Special Forces to Eastern City

Ukraine has deployed special forces to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to repel an fierce Moscow's offensive comprising thousands of troops, as stated by Kyiv’s top military leader. Pokrovsk, dubbed “the entrance to Donetsk,” is located on a key logistical line for the Kyiv's military and has been under Moscow’s crosshairs for over a year as Moscow pushes to seize the entire eastern Donetsk region.

Recent Developments in Pokrovsk

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 movement. In his evening address on this past Sunday, the Ukrainian president spoke of the combat in Pokrovsk and “successes in the elimination of the invading forces.”

Zelenskyy Announces Strengthened Air Defense Network

The president, who has been urging his allies for additional air defense systems to hold off Moscow's strikes, announced on Sunday that Ukraine had strengthened its air defense capabilities with Berlin's support. “We have strengthened the U.S.-made Patriot element of our national air defence,” Zelenskyy said, referring to the sophisticated American air-defence systems. Without providing additional information, the Ukraine's leader specifically thanked Berlin and its leader, the German chancellor, for thanks.

Russian Attacks Claim Innocents, Cut Electricity

Moscow's drones and missiles targeting Ukrainian territory took the lives of no fewer than six people, including 2 minors, and cut power to tens of thousands of residents, officials said on Sunday. Moscow's military attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, said the office of the country's prosecutor general. The victims were male minors aged eleven and 14, stated the nation's human rights commissioner. The strikes cut power to the whole east Donetsk area as well as nearly 58 thousand households in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their governors said. Ukraine’s Eastern army group said a number of its members were killed in one of the enemy attacks on the region.