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FormerPresident Donald Trump remarked on Sunday that he is not actively contemplating sending Ukrainian forces with advanced Tomahawk missiles. After being asked by a journalist aboard Air Force One, he answered, “No, not currently.” Earlier reports had suggested the Pentagon informed the White House that American inventories of Tomahawks were sufficient to enable such a delivery.

Ukrainian Defense Actions Persist Without Weapon Lack

While Ukrainian forces has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to conduct far-reaching strikes against Russia, it has nonetheless succeeded to conduct a effective operation using its domestically-produced drones and missiles against Moscow's armed and strategic targets, such as oil depots and processing plants. On Sunday, a Kyiv's drone attack struck the port facility on the Black Sea, igniting a blaze and damaging two vessels, as stated by Moscow officials. Nearby airfields in the region also had to be closed.

Turkey Refineries Shift to Non-Russian Crude Supplies

Turkey's largest oil refining facilities are boosting procurement of alternative crude in reaction to the recent international sanctions on Russia, according to industry sources. Turkey is a major purchaser of Russian crude, along with China and India, but processing companies are following India's lead in reducing imports.

STAR Plant Expands Crude Procurement

One of the largest Turkey's refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), owned by Azeri company SOCAR, has lately purchased multiple cargoes of crude from Iraq, Kazakhstan, and additional alternative suppliers for year-end delivery, according to insiders. These purchases represent approximately tens of thousands of barrels daily of alternative crude, depending on shipment volume. By comparison, Russian crude made up nearly the entirety of the STAR refinery's crude intake in October and September, amounting to approximately 210,000 bpd, according to trade data. SOCAR refused to provide a statement.

Another Major Refiner Also Increasing Alternative Buys

The other leading Turkish oil processor – Tupras refinery – was also raising acquisitions of alternative types of crude, according to two insiders. Tupras was also expected to in the near future entirely eliminate imports from Russia at one of its primary major domestic refineries to continue petroleum shipments to Europe without breaching the European Union's upcoming restrictions. Tupras declined to comment to a inquiry for a statement.

Ukrainian Sends Special Forces to Pokrovsk

Ukraine has sent elite troops to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to repel an intense Russian assault involving thousands of troops, according to Ukraine's senior military leader. Pokrovsk, called “the entrance to Donetsk,” lies on a major supply route for the Kyiv's military and has been in Russia's crosshairs for over a twelve months as Russia aims to seize the whole east Donetsk area.

Latest Developments in the City

No fewer than 200 Russian troops had breached Pokrovsk’s defences, Kyiv said recently, while military experts concluded that others were advancing on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped maneuver. In his evening speech on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the combat in Pokrovsk and “successes in the destruction of the occupiers.”

Zelenskyy Announces Enhanced Air Defence Network

The president, who has been pushing his allies for additional air defense systems to counter Russia’s attacks, announced on Sunday that the country had reinforced its air-defence capabilities with Berlin's assistance. “We have boosted the U.S.-made Patriot component of our Ukrainian air defence,” he said, mentioning the sophisticated American defense systems. Not providing additional details, the Ukrainian president specifically thanked Germany and its leader, the German chancellor, for thanks.

Moscow's Strikes Kill Civilians, Disrupt Electricity

Russian drones and missiles targeting Ukrainian territory took the lives of no fewer than six individuals, including 2 children, and cut electricity to tens of thousands of households, authorities said on this past Sunday. Moscow's military attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the office of the country's prosecutor general. The victims were two boys aged eleven and fourteen, said Ukraine’s ombudsman. The attacks cut electricity to the whole eastern Donetsk region as well as almost 58 thousand households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. Ukraine’s Eastern army group confirmed a number of its personnel were killed in one of the Russian attacks on the region.