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Ex-President Trump indicated on Sunday that he is not seriously planning providing Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles. After being asked by a reporter aboard his plane, he replied, “No, not really.” Recent reports had suggested the Pentagon informed the White House that American stockpiles of Tomahawks were ample to enable this delivery.

Ukrainian Defense Efforts Continue Despite Weapon Shortage

Although Ukraine has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to carry out long-range attacks against Russia, it has still managed to conduct a successful operation using its own unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles against Russian armed and strategic objectives, including fuel storage facilities and processing plants. This past Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack hit the port facility on the coast, igniting a fire and harming two vessels, as stated by Moscow authorities. Nearby Russian airports in the area also had to be closed.

Turkey Refineries Turn to Non-Russian Crude Supplies

Ankara's biggest oil refineries are increasing purchases of alternative crude in response to the latest international sanctions on Moscow, as reported by industry sources. The country is a significant buyer of Russian crude, together with Beijing and New Delhi, but refiners are following New Delhi's example in cutting back supplies.

STAR Plant Expands Oil Sources

A major Turkish refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), owned by Azerbaijani company SOCAR, has recently acquired four shipments of crude from Iraq, Kazakh, and additional alternative producers for December arrival, as per insiders. This represent roughly tens of thousands of barrels daily of non-Russian supply, varying by shipment volume. By comparison, oil from Russia accounted for virtually the entirety of the STAR refinery's crude intake in recent months, amounting to about 210,000 barrels per day, according to market data. SOCAR refused to provide a statement.

Tupras Likewise Boosting Non-Russian Buys

The other major Turkish oil processor – Tupras – was also increasing acquisitions of non-Russian types of crude, according to two sources. The company was also expected to soon completely phase out Russian crude at a key facility of its two major Turkish plants to continue fuel exports to the EU without breaching the EU’s upcoming sanctions. Tupras declined to comment to a inquiry for comment.

Ukrainian Deploys Elite Units to Eastern City

Kyiv has sent special forces to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to repel an fierce Russian offensive involving thousands of troops, as stated by Kyiv’s top commander. Pokrovsk, dubbed “the entrance to Donetsk,” lies on a key logistical line for the Ukrainian military and has been under Moscow’s sights for over a year as Russia pushes to seize the entire eastern Donetsk area.

Recent Developments in the City

At least 200 Moscow's soldiers had breached the city's defences, Kyiv reported last week, while analysts assessed that others were advancing on its outskirts in a pincer-shaped maneuver. In his evening address on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the fighting in Pokrovsk and “results in the elimination of the occupiers.”

Ukrainian President Reveals Enhanced Air Defense System

The president, who has been pushing his partners for additional air defences to counter Russia’s strikes, announced on this past Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air-defence capabilities with Berlin's support. “We have boosted the U.S.-made Patriot component of our national air defense,” he said, mentioning the sophisticated American air-defence systems. Not providing further details, the Ukrainian president singled out Germany and its leader, the German chancellor, for gratitude.

Russian Strikes Kill Civilians, Cut Electricity

Moscow's unmanned aircraft and rockets fired at Ukraine killed at least 6 individuals, including 2 children, and cut electricity to tens of thousands of residents, authorities reported on this past Sunday. Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, said the office of the country's chief prosecutor. The victims were male minors of ages eleven and fourteen, said Ukraine’s human rights commissioner. The attacks disrupted electricity to the entire eastern Donetsk area as well as almost 58 thousand households in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. Ukraine’s Eastern military unit said some of its personnel were killed in a particular of the Russian attacks on Dnipropetrovsk.