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FormerPresident Trump stated on Sunday that he was not really considering supplying Ukrainian forces with advanced Tomahawk cruise missiles. After being asked by a journalist on Air Force One, he responded, “No, not at the moment.” Earlier reports had claimed the Pentagon told the administration that U.S. inventories of Tomahawks were ample to allow such a delivery.

Ukrainian Military Efforts Persist Despite Missile Lack

While Ukrainian forces has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to carry out far-reaching strikes against Russian targets, it has still succeeded to conduct a effective campaign using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and rockets against Moscow's military and key targets, such as fuel storage facilities and refineries. On Sunday, a Ukrainian airstrike targeted the Tuapse oil port on the coast, igniting a blaze and damaging two vessels, as stated by Russian officials. Adjacent airfields in the region also had to be shut down.

Turkey Refineries Turn to Non-Russian Crude Supplies

Ankara's largest oil refineries are increasing procurement of non-Russian crude in response to the latest international sanctions on Russia, according to industry sources. Turkey is a significant buyer of Russian crude, along with Beijing and New Delhi, but refiners are mirroring New Delhi's example in reducing supplies.

STAR Plant Expands Oil Sources

One of the largest Turkey's refineries, the STAR refinery, operated by Azeri company SOCAR, has recently acquired multiple cargoes of crude from Iraq, Kazakhstan, and additional alternative suppliers for year-end delivery, as per insiders. These purchases amount to roughly 77,000 to 129,000 barrels daily of alternative crude, depending on cargo size. By comparison, oil from Russia made up virtually the entirety of the plant's crude intake in October and September, amounting to about 210 thousand bpd, based on market information. SOCAR declined to comment.

Tupras Also Increasing Non-Russian Purchases

Another leading Turkish oil processor – Tupras refinery – was additionally raising acquisitions of non-Russian types of crude, according to two sources. Tupras was also likely to soon completely phase out Russian crude at a key facility of its primary major Turkish refineries to continue petroleum exports to the EU without breaching the European Union's upcoming sanctions. The refiner declined to comment to a request for comment.

Ukraine Deploys Elite Units to Eastern City

Ukraine has sent elite troops to the heavily contested east city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to push back an fierce Moscow's assault comprising a large number of troops, as stated by Kyiv’s top military leader. Pokrovsk, called “the gateway to Donetsk,” lies on a key supply route for the Kyiv's military and has been in Moscow’s sights for more than a year as Russia aims to seize the whole east Donetsk area.

Latest Developments in Pokrovsk

No fewer than two hundred Moscow's soldiers had penetrated the city's defences, Ukrainian officials said recently, while military experts assessed that additional forces were closing in on its outskirts in a encircling movement. In his evening speech on this past Sunday, the Ukrainian president spoke of the fighting in Pokrovsk and “successes in the destruction of the invading forces.”

Ukrainian President Reveals Strengthened Air Defence System

The president, who has been pushing his allies for additional air defences to counter Russia’s strikes, announced on this past Sunday that the country had reinforced its air-defence capabilities with Berlin's assistance. “We have boosted the U.S.-made Patriot element of our Ukrainian air defense,” he declared, mentioning the advanced American air-defence systems. Without providing additional information, the Ukrainian president specifically thanked Berlin and its leader, the German chancellor, for gratitude.

Russian Strikes Claim Civilians, Cut Power

Moscow's unmanned aircraft and missiles targeting Ukraine took the lives of no fewer than 6 individuals, including two minors, and disrupted power to tens of thousands of residents, authorities reported on this past Sunday. Moscow's military struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the office of the country's prosecutor general. The children were two boys of ages eleven and fourteen, said Ukraine’s human rights commissioner. The attacks disrupted power to the whole east Donetsk region as well as nearly 58 thousand homes in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders announced. Ukraine’s Vostok military unit confirmed some of its personnel were killed in one of the enemy attacks on the region.