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Ex-President Donald Trump stated on Sunday that he is not seriously contemplating supplying Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. When questioned by a reporter on his plane, he responded, “No, not at the moment.” Earlier accounts had indicated the U.S. Department of Defense informed the administration that American stockpiles of Tomahawks were sufficient to allow such a transfer.

Ukraine's Defense Efforts Continue Without Missile Lack

While Ukrainian forces has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to execute long-range attacks against Russia, it has nonetheless managed to conduct a successful campaign using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and rockets against Russian military and strategic objectives, including fuel storage facilities and processing plants. This past Sunday, a Kyiv's drone attack struck the Tuapse oil port on the coast, causing a fire and damaging two ships, according to Russian officials. Nearby airfields in the region also had to be shut down.

Turkish Oil Plants Turn to Alternative Crude Sources

Turkey's largest oil refineries are increasing procurement of non-Russian crude in reaction to the recent international restrictions on Moscow, as reported by market insiders. The country is a significant purchaser of oil from Russia, along with Beijing and India, but refiners are following New Delhi's lead in reducing imports.

SOCAR Turkey Plant Diversifies Crude Sources

One of the largest Turkish refineries, the STAR refinery, operated by Azerbaijani company SOCAR, has recently purchased multiple cargoes of crude from Iraq, Kazakh, and other non-Russian suppliers for year-end arrival, as per insiders. These purchases amount to roughly tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian supply, depending on cargo size. In contrast, Russian crude accounted for virtually all of the plant's supply in recent months, amounting to approximately 210,000 barrels per day, based on trade information. SOCAR refused to provide a statement.

Another Major Refiner Likewise Increasing Non-Russian Purchases

Another major Turkish oil processor – Tupras refinery – was also raising acquisitions of alternative grades of crude, as stated by multiple insiders. Tupras was furthermore expected to in the near future entirely phase out imports from Russia at one of its two main domestic refineries to continue fuel exports to the EU without breaching the EU’s incoming sanctions. The refiner declined to comment to a request for comment.

Ukrainian Sends Elite Units to Eastern City

Kyiv has sent special forces to the heavily contested eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an intense Moscow's assault involving a large number of soldiers, as stated by Kyiv’s top commander. The city, dubbed “the gateway to Donetsk,” lies on a key supply line for the Ukrainian military and has been under Russia's crosshairs for more than a twelve months as Moscow aims to seize the entire east Donetsk area.

Latest Updates in the City

At least 200 Moscow's troops had breached the city's defensive lines, Kyiv said recently, while military experts concluded that others were advancing on its perimeter in a encircling movement. In his nightly speech on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the fighting in Pokrovsk and “results in the destruction of the invading forces.”

Ukrainian President Announces Enhanced Air Defense Network

The president, who has been urging his allies for additional air defense systems to counter Russia’s attacks, announced on this past Sunday that the country had reinforced its air defense network with Berlin's assistance. “We've boosted the Patriot element of our Ukrainian air defence,” he said, referring to the sophisticated American air-defence systems. Without offering additional details, the Ukraine's president singled out Germany and its leader, the German chancellor, for thanks.

Moscow's Strikes Kill Innocents, Cut Electricity

Russian drones and rockets fired at Ukraine killed at least 6 people, including two minors, and disrupted electricity to tens of thousands of residents, authorities said on Sunday. Moscow's military attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, said the office of Ukraine’s chief prosecutor. The victims were male minors of ages 11 and fourteen, stated the nation's human rights commissioner. The attacks disrupted power to the entire eastern Donetsk region as well as nearly 58,000 households in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders announced. The Eastern army group said a number of its members were killed in a particular of the Russian strikes on the region.