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Ex-President Trump stated on Sunday that he is not actively considering sending Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. When questioned by a reporter on Air Force One, he answered, “No, not currently.” Earlier reports had indicated the Pentagon informed the administration that U.S. inventories of Tomahawks were sufficient to allow this delivery.

Ukrainian Military Actions Persist Despite Missile Lack

Although Ukrainian forces has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to execute long-range strikes against Russia, it has nonetheless managed to conduct a successful campaign using its domestically-produced drones and missiles against Russian armed and key targets, including fuel storage facilities and processing plants. This past Sunday, a Kyiv's airstrike struck the Tuapse oil port on the Black Sea, igniting a fire and harming two vessels, according to Russian authorities. Adjacent Russian airports in the area also had to be shut down.

Turkey Oil Plants Turn to Non-Russian Oil Supplies

Ankara's largest oil refining facilities are boosting purchases of alternative crude in reaction to the recent international restrictions on Moscow, according to industry insiders. The country is a significant buyer of oil from Russia, together with China and India, but refiners are following India's example in cutting back supplies.

SOCAR Turkey Refinery Diversifies Oil Sources

A major Turkish refining plants, the STAR refinery, operated by Azerbaijani company SOCAR, has recently purchased multiple shipments of crude from Iraq, Kazakhstan, and other alternative producers for December delivery, according to insiders. These purchases amount to approximately 77,000 to 129,000 barrels daily of alternative supply, varying by cargo size. By comparison, Russian crude made up nearly the entirety of the plant's crude intake in recent months, totaling approximately 210 thousand bpd, based on market information. SOCAR declined to provide a statement.

Another Major Refiner Also Increasing Non-Russian Buys

Another major Turkish refiner – Tupras – was also raising acquisitions of non-Russian grades of crude, according to multiple sources. Tupras was also expected to soon entirely eliminate Russian crude at a key facility of its two major domestic refineries to continue fuel exports to Europe without breaching the European Union's upcoming sanctions. The refiner declined to comment to a request for comment.

Ukraine Deploys Special Forces to Eastern City

Kyiv has deployed elite troops to the heavily contested east city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to push back an fierce Russian assault involving thousands of soldiers, as stated by Ukraine's senior commander. The city, dubbed “the entrance to Donetsk,” lies on a major logistical route for the Kyiv's army and has been in Russia's crosshairs for more than a twelve months as Moscow aims to seize the whole eastern Donetsk area.

Latest Developments in Pokrovsk

At least two hundred Russian soldiers had penetrated Pokrovsk’s defensive lines, Kyiv reported recently, while military experts concluded that additional forces were closing in on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped movement. In his evening address on Sunday, the Ukrainian president spoke of the fighting in the city and “successes in the elimination of the invading forces.”

Zelenskyy Reveals Enhanced Air Defence Network

Zelenskyy, who has been urging his partners for additional air defense systems to hold off Moscow's attacks, announced on this past Sunday that the country had reinforced its air-defence network with Germany’s assistance. “We have strengthened the U.S.-made Patriot element of our Ukrainian air defence,” Zelenskyy said, referring to the sophisticated U.S.-made air-defence systems. Not offering further details, the Ukrainian president specifically thanked Berlin and its leader, the German chancellor, for gratitude.

Moscow's Attacks Kill Innocents, Cut Power

Moscow's drones and rockets targeting Ukrainian territory killed no fewer than 6 people, including two minors, and cut electricity to tens of thousands of residents, officials said on this past Sunday. Russian forces struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, according to the office of Ukraine’s chief prosecutor. The victims were two boys aged eleven and fourteen, stated Ukraine’s human rights commissioner. Russia’s attacks disrupted electricity to the entire eastern Donetsk area as well as almost 58,000 homes in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their governors announced. The Eastern military unit said some of its members were killed in a particular of the enemy attacks on the region.