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Ex-President Trump indicated this past Sunday that he is not really planning providing Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. When questioned by a journalist on Air Force One, he responded, “No, not at the moment.” Earlier accounts had suggested the U.S. Department of Defense told the administration that American stockpiles of Tomahawks were ample to enable this transfer.

Ukrainian Military Actions Persist Without Weapon Lack

While Ukraine has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to conduct long-range attacks against Russian targets, it has nonetheless managed to conduct a successful campaign using its own drones and missiles against Moscow's armed and strategic targets, such as fuel storage facilities and processing plants. On Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack targeted the port facility on the Black Sea, igniting a fire and damaging two ships, according to Moscow officials. Nearby airfields in the region also had to be shut down.

Turkey Oil Plants Shift to Non-Russian Oil Sources

Ankara's biggest oil refining facilities are boosting procurement of non-Russian crude in reaction to the recent western sanctions on Russia, according to industry insiders. Turkey is a significant buyer of oil from Russia, along with Beijing and New Delhi, but processing companies are following New Delhi's lead in cutting back supplies.

STAR Refinery Expands Oil Sources

A major Turkey's refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), owned by Azerbaijani company SOCAR, has lately purchased multiple shipments of crude from Iraqi, Kazakhstan, and additional non-Russian suppliers for year-end arrival, as per sources. This amount to approximately tens of thousands of barrels daily of alternative crude, depending on shipment volume. In contrast, oil from Russia made up nearly all of the STAR refinery's crude intake in October and September, totaling approximately 210,000 barrels per day, according to trade data. SOCAR declined to comment.

Another Major Refiner Likewise Increasing Non-Russian Buys

Another major Turkish refiner – Tupras – was also raising purchases of non-Russian grades of crude, according to two sources. The company was furthermore likely to soon completely phase out imports from Russia at one of its primary main domestic refineries to maintain petroleum exports to the EU without violating the EU’s upcoming sanctions. The refiner declined to comment to a inquiry for comment.

Ukraine Sends Elite Units to Pokrovsk

Ukraine has sent special forces to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to push back an intense Russian assault comprising a large number of soldiers, as stated by Ukraine's senior military leader. The city, dubbed “the gateway to Donetsk,” is located on a major supply route for the Ukrainian military and has been in Moscow’s sights for more than a twelve months as Moscow pushes to control the whole eastern Donetsk region.

Latest Updates in Pokrovsk

At least two hundred Russian soldiers had breached the city's defensive lines, Ukrainian officials reported recently, while military experts concluded that additional forces were closing in on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped maneuver. In his evening speech on this past Sunday, the Ukrainian president mentioned the combat in the city and “results in the destruction of the invading forces.”

Zelenskyy Announces Strengthened Air Defence Network

Zelenskyy, who has been pushing his partners for more air defences to hold off Russia’s attacks, announced on this past Sunday that the country had strengthened its air-defence network with Germany’s assistance. “We have boosted the U.S.-made Patriot component of our Ukrainian air defence,” he declared, mentioning the sophisticated American defense systems. Not providing additional information, the Ukraine's leader specifically thanked Berlin and its leader, the German chancellor, for thanks.

Moscow's Attacks Claim Innocents, Disrupt Electricity

Moscow's drones and missiles targeting Ukrainian territory took the lives of at least six individuals, including 2 minors, and disrupted power to tens of thousands of residents, authorities said on this past Sunday. Moscow's military attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, said the representatives of Ukraine’s prosecutor general. The victims were male minors aged 11 and fourteen, said the nation's human rights commissioner. The strikes disrupted power to the whole east Donetsk region as well as nearly 58,000 households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. Ukraine’s Vostok military unit said a number of its personnel were killed in a particular of the enemy strikes on Dnipropetrovsk.