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FormerPresident Donald Trump remarked on Sunday that he was not really contemplating providing Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles. After being asked by a reporter aboard Air Force One, he replied, “No, not at the moment.” Earlier accounts had claimed the U.S. Department of Defense told the White House that American stockpiles of Tomahawks were sufficient to enable this transfer.

Ukraine's Defense Efforts Persist Despite Weapon Lack

Although Ukrainian forces has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to carry out far-reaching attacks against Russia, it has still managed to wage a successful operation using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and rockets against Russian armed and strategic objectives, including fuel storage facilities and refineries. This past Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack targeted the port facility on the Black Sea, igniting a fire and damaging two vessels, as stated by Moscow officials. Adjacent Russian airports in the area also had to be closed.

Turkey Oil Plants Shift to Alternative Oil Sources

Ankara's largest oil refining facilities are increasing procurement of non-Russian crude in reaction to the recent international restrictions on Moscow, according to market insiders. The country is a major buyer of Russian crude, together with Beijing and New Delhi, but refiners are mirroring New Delhi's example in reducing imports.

STAR Plant Expands Oil Procurement

One of the largest Turkish refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), operated by Azerbaijani company SOCAR, has recently acquired multiple cargoes of crude from Iraqi, Kazakhstan, and additional non-Russian producers for year-end arrival, as per sources. These purchases represent approximately tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian crude, depending on cargo size. By comparison, Russian crude accounted for virtually the entirety of the plant's crude intake in October and September, totaling approximately 210 thousand bpd, based on trade data. SOCAR declined to provide a statement.

Tupras Likewise Boosting Alternative Purchases

The other major Turkey's oil processor – Tupras refinery – was also increasing purchases of alternative grades of crude, according to two sources. Tupras was furthermore expected to in the near future entirely phase out imports from Russia at a key facility of its two major Turkish plants to continue petroleum exports to Europe without violating the European Union's incoming sanctions. The refiner did not respond to a request for a statement.

Ukrainian Deploys Elite Units to Eastern City

Ukraine has sent elite troops to the heavily contested east city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to repel an fierce Moscow's offensive involving a large number of troops, as stated by Ukraine's senior military leader. Pokrovsk, called “the gateway to Donetsk,” is located on a key logistical line for the Ukrainian army and has been under Moscow’s sights for more than a year as Russia aims to seize the whole eastern Donetsk region.

Latest Developments in the City

No fewer than 200 Russian soldiers had penetrated Pokrovsk’s defensive lines, Kyiv reported last week, while analysts concluded that others were advancing on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped movement. In his evening speech on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the fighting in Pokrovsk and “results in the destruction of the invading forces.”

Zelenskyy Announces Enhanced Air Defence System

The president, who has been urging his partners for additional air defense systems to hold off Moscow's strikes, stated on this past Sunday that Ukraine had strengthened its air defense capabilities with Germany’s support. “We have boosted the U.S.-made Patriot element of our Ukrainian air defence,” Zelenskyy said, mentioning the advanced U.S.-made defense systems. Not offering additional information, the Ukrainian leader singled out Germany and its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, for thanks.

Russian Strikes Kill Innocents, Disrupt Electricity

Moscow's unmanned aircraft and rockets fired at Ukrainian territory took the lives of no fewer than six individuals, including 2 children, and cut power to tens of thousands of households, officials reported on this past Sunday. Russian forces struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the office of Ukraine’s prosecutor general. The children were two boys of ages 11 and 14, said the nation's human rights commissioner. The attacks disrupted electricity to the entire east Donetsk region as well as nearly 58 thousand homes in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their governors announced. The Eastern army group confirmed a number of its personnel were killed in one of the Russian attacks on Dnipropetrovsk.