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Ex-President Donald Trump indicated this past Sunday that he was not really contemplating providing Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk missiles. In response to a query by a journalist aboard Air Force One, he responded, “No, not currently.” Earlier reports had suggested the U.S. Department of Defense told the administration that American stockpiles of Tomahawks were ample to allow such a delivery.

Ukraine's Military Efforts Persist Without Missile Lack

Although Ukraine has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to conduct long-range strikes against Russia, it has nonetheless succeeded to wage a effective campaign using its own drones and missiles against Moscow's military and key targets, such as fuel storage facilities and processing plants. On Sunday, a Ukrainian airstrike hit the port facility on the Black Sea, igniting a fire and damaging two vessels, according to Russian authorities. Adjacent airfields in the region also had to be closed.

Turkish Oil Plants Turn to Non-Russian Oil Supplies

Ankara's biggest oil refineries are boosting purchases of non-Russian crude in reaction to the recent international sanctions on Moscow, according to market insiders. Turkey is a major purchaser of oil from Russia, along with China and New Delhi, but processing companies are mirroring India's lead in reducing imports.

STAR Refinery Expands Oil Procurement

One of the largest Turkey's refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), operated by Azerbaijani company SOCAR, has recently purchased multiple shipments of crude from Iraq, Kazakhstan, and other non-Russian producers for December delivery, according to sources. These purchases represent approximately tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian crude, varying by shipment volume. By comparison, Russian crude made up virtually the entirety of the plant's supply in October and September, totaling about 210 thousand barrels per day, according to trade data. SOCAR declined to provide a statement.

Another Major Refiner Also Boosting Non-Russian Buys

The other major Turkish refiner – Tupras – was also increasing acquisitions of alternative grades of crude, as stated by two sources. Tupras was furthermore expected to in the near future entirely phase out Russian crude at one of its two main domestic refineries to continue petroleum shipments to the EU without breaching the EU’s upcoming sanctions. The refiner did not respond to a inquiry for comment.

Ukrainian Deploys Special Forces to Eastern City

Kyiv has deployed special forces to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to push back an intense Russian assault involving a large number of troops, as stated by Ukraine's top military leader. The city, called “the gateway to Donetsk,” is located on a key supply route for the Kyiv's military and has been under Russia's crosshairs for over a year as Moscow aims to seize the whole eastern Donetsk area.

Latest Updates in Pokrovsk

No fewer than 200 Moscow's troops had penetrated Pokrovsk’s defensive lines, Ukrainian officials reported last week, while analysts assessed that additional forces were advancing on its perimeter in a encircling movement. In his evening speech on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the combat in the city and “successes in the destruction of the invading forces.”

Ukrainian President Announces Strengthened Air Defense System

Zelenskyy, who has been urging his allies for additional air defense systems to counter Russia’s strikes, announced on this past Sunday that the country had reinforced its air-defence capabilities with Berlin's assistance. “We've strengthened the Patriot component of our national air defense,” he declared, referring to the advanced American air-defence systems. Without providing additional information, the Ukraine's leader specifically thanked Berlin and its leader, Friedrich Merz, for thanks.

Moscow's Strikes Kill Civilians, Cut Power

Russian drones and missiles targeting Ukrainian territory killed no fewer than 6 people, including two children, and disrupted power to tens of thousands of households, officials reported on this past Sunday. Moscow's military struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the office of Ukraine’s chief prosecutor. The children were male minors aged 11 and 14, stated the nation's human rights commissioner. Russia’s strikes disrupted electricity to the entire eastern Donetsk area as well as almost 58,000 households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their governors said. The Vostok military unit said some of its members were killed in one of the enemy attacks on Dnipropetrovsk.