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Ex-President Trump indicated this past Sunday that he was not really contemplating providing Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. After being asked by a reporter on his plane, he responded, “No, not really.” Recent accounts had claimed the Pentagon told the administration that American stockpiles of Tomahawks were sufficient to enable such a delivery.

Ukraine's Defense Actions Continue Without Missile Lack

While Ukraine has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to carry out far-reaching attacks against Russian targets, it has still managed to wage a successful campaign using its own unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles against Russian armed and key targets, including fuel storage facilities and processing plants. This past Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack struck the port facility on the Black Sea, causing a fire and damaging two ships, according to Russian authorities. Nearby Russian airports in the area also had to be shut down.

Turkish Refineries Shift to Non-Russian Crude Supplies

Turkey's biggest oil refineries are boosting procurement of alternative crude in reaction to the recent western restrictions on Moscow, according to market sources. Turkey is a major buyer of Russian crude, together with Beijing and New Delhi, but refiners are following New Delhi's example in cutting back supplies.

SOCAR Turkey Plant Diversifies Crude Procurement

One of the largest Turkish refineries, the STAR refinery, operated by Azerbaijani company SOCAR, has lately purchased multiple cargoes of crude from Iraq, Kazakhstan, and additional alternative suppliers for December arrival, according to insiders. These purchases represent approximately tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of alternative supply, varying by shipment volume. By comparison, Russian crude made up nearly the entirety of the plant's crude intake in recent months, totaling about 210,000 barrels per day, according to trade data. SOCAR refused to comment.

Another Major Refiner Likewise Boosting Non-Russian Buys

Another leading Turkish oil processor – Tupras refinery – was also raising acquisitions of non-Russian grades of crude, according to two sources. The company was also expected to soon completely phase out imports from Russia at one of its primary main Turkish refineries to continue fuel exports to the EU without violating the EU’s incoming restrictions. The refiner did not respond to a inquiry for comment.

Ukraine Deploys Special Forces to Eastern City

Ukraine has deployed elite troops to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to repel an intense Moscow's offensive involving thousands of soldiers, as stated by Kyiv’s top commander. The city, dubbed “the entrance to Donetsk,” is located on a key supply line for the Ukrainian army and has been in Moscow’s crosshairs for more than a year as Moscow pushes to control the entire east Donetsk region.

Latest Updates in Pokrovsk

No fewer than two hundred Moscow's soldiers had penetrated Pokrovsk’s defensive lines, Kyiv reported recently, while military experts concluded that others were closing in on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped movement. In his evening speech on this past Sunday, the Ukrainian president spoke of the combat in Pokrovsk and “results in the destruction of the invading forces.”

Ukrainian President Reveals Strengthened Air Defense Network

Zelenskyy, who has been urging his allies for more air defense systems to hold off Moscow's strikes, stated on this past Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air-defence network with Berlin's assistance. “We've strengthened the U.S.-made Patriot element of our national air defence,” Zelenskyy declared, mentioning the advanced U.S.-made air-defence systems. Not offering additional details, the Ukraine's leader specifically thanked Germany and its chancellor, the German chancellor, for gratitude.

Russian Strikes Kill Innocents, Disrupt Electricity

Moscow's unmanned aircraft and rockets targeting Ukrainian territory took the lives of no fewer than 6 individuals, including two children, and cut power to thousands of residents, authorities said on Sunday. Russian forces struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, said the office of Ukraine’s prosecutor general. The children were male minors aged 11 and fourteen, said Ukraine’s ombudsman. Russia’s attacks disrupted power to the whole eastern Donetsk region as well as nearly 58,000 homes in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their governors announced. Ukraine’s Vostok army group confirmed some of its members were killed in a particular of the enemy attacks on the region.