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FormerPresident Donald Trump remarked on Sunday that he was not really considering providing Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. When questioned by a journalist aboard Air Force One, he answered, “No, not really.” Recent accounts had indicated the Pentagon informed the White House that American inventories of Tomahawks were adequate to allow such a transfer.

Ukraine's Defense Efforts Persist Without Weapon Shortage

While Ukrainian forces has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to execute far-reaching strikes against Russia, it has still succeeded to wage a successful operation using its domestically-produced drones and missiles against Russian military and key targets, such as fuel storage facilities and refineries. On Sunday, a Ukrainian airstrike struck the port facility on the coast, causing a fire and damaging two vessels, as stated by Moscow authorities. Nearby airfields in the region also had to be closed.

Turkey Oil Plants Turn to Alternative Oil Sources

Turkey's biggest oil refining facilities are boosting purchases of non-Russian crude in reaction to the recent western restrictions on Moscow, according to industry insiders. The country is a major buyer of Russian crude, along with Beijing and New Delhi, but refiners are following New Delhi's lead in cutting back imports.

SOCAR Turkey Refinery Expands Crude Sources

A major Turkey's refining plants, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), operated by Azeri firm SOCAR, has lately acquired multiple shipments of crude from Iraqi, Kazakhstan, and other non-Russian producers for December delivery, according to insiders. This represent approximately 77,000 to 129,000 barrels per day (bpd) of alternative supply, depending on shipment volume. In contrast, oil from Russia accounted for virtually all of the plant's supply in October and September, totaling about 210 thousand barrels per day, according to trade information. SOCAR refused to provide a statement.

Tupras Also Increasing Non-Russian Purchases

The other major Turkish refiner – Tupras – was additionally raising purchases of non-Russian grades of crude, as stated by two insiders. The company was furthermore likely to in the near future completely phase out imports from Russia at one of its two major domestic refineries to maintain fuel shipments to the EU without breaching the EU’s upcoming restrictions. The refiner declined to comment to a inquiry for a statement.

Ukrainian Deploys Special Forces to Eastern City

Kyiv has sent elite troops to the embattled east city of Pokrovsk in an effort to repel an intense Moscow's offensive involving a large number of soldiers, according to Kyiv’s top military leader. The city, called “the gateway to Donetsk,” is located on a key logistical route for the Ukrainian military and has been under Russia's crosshairs for over a year as Moscow pushes to control the entire east Donetsk area.

Latest Developments in Pokrovsk

At least two hundred Moscow's soldiers had breached the city's defensive lines, Kyiv said recently, while analysts concluded that others were advancing on its outskirts in a encircling movement. In his evening address on this past Sunday, the Ukrainian president mentioned the fighting in the city and “successes in the elimination of the occupiers.”

Ukrainian President Reveals Enhanced Air Defence System

Zelenskyy, who has been urging his allies for additional air defense systems to hold off Russia’s strikes, stated on this past Sunday that the country had reinforced its air defense network with Germany’s assistance. “We have boosted the U.S.-made Patriot component of our Ukrainian air defense,” he said, mentioning the advanced American air-defence systems. Without providing additional details, the Ukraine's president singled out Berlin and its leader, Friedrich Merz, for thanks.

Russian Attacks Claim Civilians, Disrupt Power

Russian unmanned aircraft and missiles targeting Ukraine killed no fewer than six individuals, among them two children, and cut power to tens of thousands of residents, officials reported on this past Sunday. Moscow's military struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, said the representatives of the country's chief prosecutor. The victims were male minors aged eleven and fourteen, stated Ukraine’s human rights commissioner. Russia’s strikes disrupted power to the whole eastern Donetsk area as well as almost 58 thousand homes in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders announced. Ukraine’s Eastern army group said some of its members were killed in one of the Russian strikes on the region.