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Ex-President Trump stated on Sunday that he is not actively planning sending Ukraine with advanced Tomahawk cruise missiles. After being asked by a reporter on Air Force One, he replied, “No, not at the moment.” Earlier reports had claimed the Pentagon informed the White House that U.S. stockpiles of Tomahawks were adequate to allow this delivery.

Ukrainian Military Efforts Persist Despite Missile Shortage

While Ukraine has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to execute long-range attacks against Russian targets, it has nonetheless succeeded to wage a successful campaign using its domestically-produced drones and rockets against Moscow's armed and strategic targets, such as fuel storage facilities and processing plants. This past Sunday, a Kyiv's drone attack targeted the Tuapse oil port on the coast, igniting a blaze and damaging two vessels, as stated by Moscow authorities. Adjacent airfields in the area also had to be closed.

Turkey Refineries Turn to Alternative Oil Supplies

Turkey's biggest oil refining facilities are increasing procurement of non-Russian crude in response to the recent international sanctions on Moscow, according to market sources. The country is a major buyer of oil from Russia, along with Beijing and New Delhi, but refiners are following New Delhi's lead in reducing imports.

STAR Refinery Expands Oil Procurement

One of the largest Turkish refining plants, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), owned by Azerbaijani company SOCAR, has recently acquired multiple shipments of crude from Iraq, Kazakhstan, and additional alternative producers for year-end arrival, as per insiders. This amount to approximately tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of alternative supply, varying by shipment volume. By comparison, Russian crude made up virtually the entirety of the plant's supply in October and September, amounting to about 210 thousand barrels per day, according to trade information. SOCAR declined to comment.

Tupras Also Increasing Alternative Buys

Another major Turkish oil processor – Tupras – was additionally increasing acquisitions of alternative types of crude, as stated by multiple insiders. The company was furthermore likely to in the near future entirely eliminate Russian crude at one of its two major Turkish plants to continue fuel shipments to Europe without violating the European Union's incoming sanctions. Tupras did not respond to a inquiry for comment.

Ukrainian Deploys Special Forces to Eastern City

Ukraine has deployed special forces to the heavily contested eastern city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to push back an intense Moscow's assault comprising thousands of soldiers, as stated by Kyiv’s top commander. The city, called “the entrance to Donetsk,” is located on a key logistical line for the Ukrainian military and has been in Moscow’s sights for more than a year as Russia pushes to seize the entire eastern Donetsk region.

Latest Developments in the City

No fewer than 200 Moscow's soldiers had penetrated Pokrovsk’s defences, Ukrainian officials reported recently, while analysts concluded that others were closing in on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped movement. In his evening speech on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the combat in Pokrovsk and “successes in the elimination of the occupiers.”

Zelenskyy Reveals Enhanced Air Defense System

Zelenskyy, who has been urging his partners for additional air defense systems to counter Moscow's attacks, announced on this past Sunday that the country had reinforced its air defense capabilities with Germany’s support. “We've boosted the Patriot element of our Ukrainian air defence,” he declared, mentioning the advanced American air-defence systems. Not offering additional details, the Ukrainian president specifically thanked Germany and its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, for thanks.

Moscow's Strikes Kill Innocents, Disrupt Electricity

Moscow's drones and missiles fired at Ukrainian territory took the lives of at least six individuals, among them 2 children, and disrupted electricity to tens of thousands of residents, authorities said on Sunday. Moscow's military struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, according to the office of the country's prosecutor general. The victims were two boys aged 11 and 14, said Ukraine’s human rights commissioner. The attacks cut electricity to the entire eastern Donetsk area as well as nearly 58 thousand homes in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. The Vostok army group said some of its members were killed in a particular of the enemy strikes on the region.