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Ex-President Trump stated on Sunday that he is not seriously considering providing Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk missiles. When questioned by a reporter aboard Air Force One, he answered, “No, not at the moment.” Earlier accounts had claimed the U.S. Department of Defense informed the administration that U.S. inventories of Tomahawks were sufficient to allow such a transfer.

Ukraine's Defense Actions Persist Despite Weapon Lack

Although Ukrainian forces has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to carry out long-range strikes against Russia, it has nonetheless succeeded to wage a successful campaign using its own drones and missiles against Moscow's military and strategic targets, such as fuel storage facilities and refineries. On Sunday, a Kyiv's airstrike targeted the port facility on the Black Sea, causing a fire and harming two ships, as stated by Moscow officials. Adjacent Russian airports in the region also had to be shut down.

Turkey Oil Plants Turn to Non-Russian Crude Supplies

Ankara's largest oil refining facilities are boosting procurement of alternative crude in reaction to the latest western sanctions on Moscow, as reported by industry insiders. The country is a major buyer of Russian crude, along with China and India, but refiners are following New Delhi's lead in cutting back imports.

SOCAR Turkey Plant Expands Crude Procurement

One of the largest Turkey's refining plants, the STAR refinery, operated by Azerbaijani firm SOCAR, has lately purchased multiple shipments of crude from Iraq, Kazakh, and additional alternative suppliers for December delivery, according to insiders. This amount to roughly tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of alternative supply, depending on shipment volume. In contrast, oil from Russia accounted for nearly all of the plant's supply in recent months, amounting to approximately 210 thousand barrels per day, according to trade information. SOCAR declined to comment.

Tupras Likewise Increasing Non-Russian Purchases

Another leading Turkish oil processor – Tupras refinery – was additionally increasing purchases of alternative types of crude, as stated by multiple insiders. Tupras was furthermore expected to in the near future entirely phase out Russian crude at one of its two main Turkish refineries to maintain fuel shipments to Europe without breaching the EU’s upcoming restrictions. Tupras did not respond to a request for a statement.

Ukrainian Sends Special Forces to Eastern City

Kyiv has deployed special forces to the heavily contested eastern city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to repel an intense Russian offensive involving a large number of soldiers, as stated by Ukraine's senior commander. The city, called “the gateway to Donetsk,” lies on a major logistical line for the Ukrainian military and has been in Russia's crosshairs for over a year as Russia aims to control the entire eastern Donetsk region.

Latest Updates in Pokrovsk

At least 200 Russian troops had breached the city's defences, Ukrainian officials said recently, while analysts assessed that others were closing in on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped maneuver. In his evening speech on this past Sunday, the Ukrainian president mentioned the combat in the city and “successes in the elimination of the invading forces.”

Ukrainian President Announces Enhanced Air Defense System

Zelenskyy, who has been pushing his partners for additional air defense systems to counter Moscow's attacks, stated on this past Sunday that the country had reinforced its air-defence capabilities with Germany’s support. “We have strengthened the Patriot component of our Ukrainian air defense,” Zelenskyy said, mentioning the advanced American air-defence systems. Without providing additional information, the Ukraine's president singled out Germany and its leader, Friedrich Merz, for gratitude.

Moscow's Strikes Kill Innocents, Disrupt Electricity

Russian drones and rockets targeting Ukraine took the lives of no fewer than six individuals, including 2 children, and disrupted power to tens of thousands of residents, officials reported on this past Sunday. Moscow's military struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the office of the country's prosecutor general. The children were two boys aged 11 and 14, stated the nation's human rights commissioner. Russia’s attacks cut power to the whole eastern Donetsk area as well as nearly 58 thousand homes in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their governors said. Ukraine’s Vostok military unit said some of its personnel were killed in a particular of the enemy strikes on Dnipropetrovsk.