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Ex-President Trump stated this past Sunday that he was not really contemplating supplying Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. When questioned by a journalist aboard his plane, he responded, “No, not at the moment.” Recent accounts had claimed the U.S. Department of Defense told the administration that American inventories of Tomahawks were adequate to enable this delivery.

Ukraine's Defense Actions Persist Despite Missile Shortage

Although Ukraine has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to conduct far-reaching strikes against Russia, it has nonetheless succeeded to wage a successful campaign using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles against Moscow's military and key objectives, including oil depots and refineries. This past Sunday, a Ukrainian airstrike hit the port facility on the coast, igniting a fire and damaging two vessels, as stated by Russian authorities. Nearby Russian airports in the area also had to be shut down.

Turkish Oil Plants Shift to Alternative Crude Supplies

Ankara's biggest oil refining facilities are increasing purchases of non-Russian crude in response to the recent international sanctions on Moscow, according to market insiders. Turkey is a significant buyer of Russian crude, along with China and New Delhi, but processing companies are mirroring New Delhi's lead in cutting back supplies.

SOCAR Turkey Plant Expands Crude Procurement

One of the largest Turkish refining plants, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), operated by Azeri company SOCAR, has recently purchased multiple shipments of crude from Iraq, Kazakhstan, and other non-Russian producers for year-end delivery, according to sources. These purchases represent approximately 77,000 to 129,000 barrels daily of alternative supply, varying by shipment volume. By comparison, oil from Russia accounted for nearly the entirety of the plant's crude intake in recent months, totaling about 210 thousand bpd, based on trade information. SOCAR declined to comment.

Another Major Refiner Also Boosting Non-Russian Buys

Another leading Turkey's oil processor – Tupras – was additionally raising purchases of non-Russian grades of crude, as stated by two sources. Tupras was furthermore expected to in the near future completely phase out Russian crude at a key facility of its two main domestic refineries to continue fuel shipments to Europe without breaching the EU’s upcoming restrictions. The refiner declined to comment to a request for comment.

Ukraine Deploys Special Forces to Eastern City

Kyiv has sent special forces to the heavily contested east city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to repel an fierce Russian offensive involving thousands of soldiers, as stated by Ukraine's top commander. The city, dubbed “the gateway to Donetsk,” is located on a major logistical route for the Ukrainian military and has been under Moscow’s sights for over a twelve months as Russia aims to seize the whole east Donetsk region.

Recent Updates in the City

At least 200 Moscow's soldiers had penetrated the city's defences, Ukrainian officials said last week, while military experts assessed that others were advancing on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped movement. In his evening address on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the combat in Pokrovsk and “results in the elimination of the invading forces.”

Ukrainian President Announces Strengthened Air Defense System

Zelenskyy, who has been pushing his allies for more air defences to counter Moscow's strikes, stated on this past Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air-defence network with Berlin's support. “We have boosted the U.S.-made Patriot component of our national air defense,” Zelenskyy declared, referring to the sophisticated American air-defence systems. Not providing additional details, the Ukrainian leader singled out Berlin and its leader, Friedrich Merz, for thanks.

Moscow's Strikes Kill Civilians, Disrupt Electricity

Russian drones and missiles targeting Ukraine took the lives of no fewer than 6 individuals, among them two children, and cut electricity to tens of thousands of residents, officials said on Sunday. Moscow's military attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the office of Ukraine’s chief prosecutor. The victims were male minors aged eleven and 14, said Ukraine’s ombudsman. Russia’s strikes disrupted power to the entire east Donetsk region as well as almost 58 thousand households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. The Vostok army group confirmed a number of its members were killed in a particular of the Russian attacks on the region.