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Ex-President Donald Trump indicated this past Sunday that he was not seriously contemplating sending Ukraine with advanced Tomahawk cruise missiles. When questioned by a reporter on his plane, he responded, “No, not currently.” Recent reports had indicated the U.S. Department of Defense told the White House that American inventories of Tomahawks were ample to enable such a transfer.

Ukraine's Defense Actions Persist Without Weapon Lack

While Ukrainian forces has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to carry out long-range strikes against Russia, it has still succeeded to conduct a successful operation using its own drones and missiles against Moscow's armed and key objectives, such as fuel storage facilities and processing plants. On Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack struck the port facility on the Black Sea, igniting a blaze and damaging two ships, as stated by Russian officials. Adjacent Russian airports in the region also had to be shut down.

Turkish Refineries Turn to Alternative Oil Sources

Ankara's biggest oil refineries are boosting purchases of alternative crude in response to the recent international sanctions on Moscow, as reported by market insiders. The country is a major purchaser of oil from Russia, along with Beijing and India, but refiners are mirroring New Delhi's example in reducing imports.

SOCAR Turkey Refinery Expands Oil Sources

A major Turkey's refineries, the STAR refinery, operated by Azeri company SOCAR, has recently acquired four cargoes of crude from Iraq, Kazakh, and additional alternative suppliers for year-end delivery, as per sources. These purchases amount to approximately tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian crude, depending on cargo size. In contrast, Russian crude made up nearly all of the STAR refinery's supply in October and September, amounting to about 210,000 barrels per day, according to trade information. SOCAR refused to comment.

Tupras Likewise Boosting Alternative Purchases

The other major Turkish refiner – Tupras – was additionally increasing acquisitions of alternative grades of crude, according to multiple insiders. Tupras was also likely to soon completely phase out Russian crude at a key facility of its two main Turkish refineries to continue petroleum exports to the EU without breaching the European Union's upcoming restrictions. The refiner declined to comment to a inquiry for a statement.

Ukrainian Deploys Elite Units to Pokrovsk

Ukraine has deployed elite troops to the embattled east city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to repel an intense Moscow's offensive involving a large number of troops, according to Ukraine's senior military leader. The city, dubbed “the gateway to Donetsk,” is located on a key supply route for the Ukrainian army and has been in Russia's sights for more than a year as Moscow aims to seize the entire eastern Donetsk area.

Recent Updates in the City

No fewer than two hundred Russian soldiers had breached Pokrovsk’s defences, Kyiv said recently, while analysts concluded that others were closing in on its outskirts in a pincer-shaped maneuver. In his evening address on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the fighting in the city and “successes in the elimination of the invading forces.”

Zelenskyy Announces Enhanced Air Defense Network

Zelenskyy, who has been urging his partners for more air defense systems to hold off Russia’s strikes, stated on this past Sunday that Ukraine had strengthened its air defense capabilities with Germany’s assistance. “We have boosted the Patriot element of our Ukrainian air defense,” Zelenskyy declared, referring to the advanced American air-defence systems. Not providing further details, the Ukraine's leader singled out Germany and its chancellor, the German chancellor, for thanks.

Russian Attacks Kill Civilians, Disrupt Power

Russian unmanned aircraft and rockets targeting Ukrainian territory killed at least 6 people, including two children, and cut electricity to tens of thousands of residents, officials reported on this past Sunday. Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, said the representatives of the country's chief prosecutor. The children were male minors of ages eleven and 14, said Ukraine’s ombudsman. Russia’s attacks cut power to the entire eastern Donetsk region as well as nearly 58 thousand homes in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. Ukraine’s Eastern military unit said some of its members were killed in one of the Russian attacks on the region.