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Ex-President Donald Trump stated on Sunday that he was not actively considering supplying Ukraine with advanced Tomahawk cruise missiles. After being asked by a reporter on his plane, he replied, “No, not currently.” Recent reports had indicated the Pentagon told the White House that U.S. inventories of Tomahawks were sufficient to enable such a delivery.

Ukraine's Defense Efforts Persist Despite Missile Shortage

While Ukraine has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to carry out long-range attacks against Russian targets, it has nonetheless succeeded to conduct a effective operation using its own drones and rockets against Russian military and strategic objectives, such as fuel storage facilities and refineries. On Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack struck the Tuapse oil port on the Black Sea, igniting a fire and damaging two ships, according to Russian authorities. Nearby airfields in the area also had to be shut down.

Turkey Refineries Turn to Alternative Oil Supplies

Turkey's biggest oil refineries are boosting procurement of alternative crude in response to the latest western sanctions on Russia, according to market sources. Turkey is a major purchaser of oil from Russia, together with China and India, but processing companies are mirroring India's example in cutting back imports.

SOCAR Turkey Plant Diversifies Oil Sources

A major Turkey's refining plants, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), owned by Azeri firm SOCAR, has lately purchased four shipments of crude from Iraq, Kazakh, and other alternative suppliers for December delivery, according to insiders. These purchases amount to roughly 77,000 to 129,000 barrels daily of non-Russian supply, depending on shipment volume. In contrast, oil from Russia made up virtually the entirety of the plant's crude intake in recent months, totaling about 210 thousand barrels per day, based on trade information. SOCAR refused to provide a statement.

Another Major Refiner Likewise Boosting Alternative Buys

Another leading Turkey's refiner – Tupras refinery – was also raising acquisitions of alternative grades of crude, according to two insiders. The company was furthermore likely to in the near future completely phase out Russian crude at a key facility of its two main domestic refineries to continue petroleum exports to the EU without breaching the EU’s incoming sanctions. The refiner did not respond to a request for comment.

Ukrainian Sends Special Forces to Pokrovsk

Ukraine has deployed elite troops to the heavily contested east city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to push back an fierce Russian assault comprising a large number of soldiers, according to Ukraine's senior military leader. Pokrovsk, dubbed “the gateway to Donetsk,” lies on a key supply line for the Ukrainian army and has been under Moscow’s sights for more than a year as Moscow aims to seize the whole east Donetsk area.

Latest Developments in Pokrovsk

No fewer than two hundred Russian soldiers had penetrated Pokrovsk’s defences, Kyiv reported recently, while military experts concluded that additional forces were closing in on its outskirts in a encircling maneuver. In his nightly speech on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the fighting in the city and “results in the destruction of the occupiers.”

Zelenskyy Reveals Enhanced Air Defence System

The president, who has been pushing his partners for more air defences to counter Russia’s attacks, stated on this past Sunday that the country had strengthened its air defense capabilities with Germany’s assistance. “We've strengthened the U.S.-made Patriot element of our national air defense,” Zelenskyy said, referring to the advanced U.S.-made defense systems. Without providing additional information, the Ukraine's president specifically thanked Berlin and its leader, Friedrich Merz, for gratitude.

Russian Attacks Kill Innocents, Cut Electricity

Moscow's unmanned aircraft and rockets targeting Ukrainian territory took the lives of at least six individuals, among them two children, and cut electricity to thousands of households, authorities reported on Sunday. Moscow's military attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, said the representatives of the country's prosecutor general. The victims were male minors aged eleven and fourteen, stated the nation's ombudsman. Russia’s strikes disrupted electricity to the entire eastern Donetsk region as well as almost 58 thousand homes in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. The Vostok army group said some of its members were killed in a particular of the Russian attacks on the region.