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FormerPresident Trump stated on Sunday that he was not really planning supplying Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles. When questioned by a journalist aboard Air Force One, he answered, “No, not really.” Recent reports had suggested the Pentagon told the administration that American inventories of Tomahawks were ample to allow this delivery.

Ukraine's Military Actions Persist Despite Missile Lack

While Ukraine has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to conduct far-reaching strikes against Russia, it has still managed to conduct a successful operation using its own drones and rockets against Moscow's armed and key targets, such as oil depots and refineries. On Sunday, a Kyiv's airstrike struck the port facility on the Black Sea, igniting a fire and harming two vessels, according to Russian officials. Nearby airfields in the region also had to be shut down.

Turkish Refineries Turn to Non-Russian Crude Sources

Ankara's largest oil refining facilities are boosting procurement of non-Russian crude in response to the latest international restrictions on Russia, as reported by industry sources. Turkey is a major buyer of oil from Russia, along with China and New Delhi, but refiners are mirroring New Delhi's example in cutting back supplies.

STAR Refinery Expands Oil Procurement

A major Turkey's refining plants, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), owned by Azeri firm SOCAR, has lately acquired multiple cargoes of crude from Iraq, Kazakh, and additional non-Russian producers for December delivery, according to sources. This represent roughly 77,000 to 129,000 barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian crude, varying by cargo size. By comparison, oil from Russia made up nearly the entirety of the STAR refinery's crude intake in recent months, amounting to about 210 thousand bpd, based on trade information. SOCAR declined to comment.

Tupras Likewise Increasing Alternative Purchases

The other major Turkey's oil processor – Tupras – was additionally raising acquisitions of alternative grades of crude, as stated by two insiders. The company was furthermore likely to soon entirely phase out imports from Russia at one of its primary main domestic plants to continue petroleum shipments to Europe without breaching the European Union's upcoming sanctions. The refiner declined to comment to a request for comment.

Ukraine Sends Special Forces to Eastern City

Kyiv has sent elite troops to the embattled east city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to repel an intense Moscow's offensive involving a large number of soldiers, according to Kyiv’s senior commander. The city, called “the gateway to Donetsk,” is located on a key logistical route for the Ukrainian army and has been in Russia's sights for over a year as Russia pushes to control the entire eastern Donetsk region.

Latest Updates in Pokrovsk

At least two hundred Russian troops had breached the city's defensive lines, Kyiv said last week, while military experts concluded that others were advancing on its outskirts in a encircling movement. In his nightly address on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the fighting in Pokrovsk and “results in the elimination of the invading forces.”

Ukrainian President Reveals Enhanced Air Defence Network

Zelenskyy, who has been pushing his partners for additional air defences to counter Moscow's attacks, announced on Sunday that the country had strengthened its air defense capabilities with Germany’s support. “We've strengthened the Patriot element of our Ukrainian air defense,” he declared, mentioning the sophisticated American defense systems. Not providing additional details, the Ukraine's president specifically thanked Germany and its leader, Friedrich Merz, for gratitude.

Russian Strikes Claim Civilians, Cut Power

Russian unmanned aircraft and missiles targeting Ukrainian territory took the lives of at least six people, among them 2 children, and disrupted power to thousands of households, officials reported on this past Sunday. Moscow's military struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, according to the representatives of the country's prosecutor general. The victims were male minors of ages 11 and fourteen, stated Ukraine’s human rights commissioner. Russia’s attacks cut power to the whole eastern Donetsk region as well as nearly 58,000 households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders announced. The Vostok army group confirmed some of its personnel were killed in one of the enemy attacks on Dnipropetrovsk.