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Ex-President Donald Trump remarked this past Sunday that he was not really planning supplying Ukrainian forces with advanced Tomahawk cruise missiles. When questioned by a journalist aboard Air Force One, he responded, “No, not at the moment.” Earlier reports had suggested the U.S. Department of Defense informed the White House that U.S. inventories of Tomahawks were ample to allow such a transfer.

Ukrainian Military Actions Continue Without Missile Shortage

Although Ukrainian forces has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to execute long-range attacks against Russia, it has still succeeded to conduct a successful operation using its own drones and missiles against Moscow's military 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 Black Sea, causing a fire and harming two ships, as stated by Russian authorities. Nearby airfields in the region also had to be shut down.

Turkey Refineries Shift to Alternative Oil Supplies

Turkey's biggest oil refineries are increasing purchases of non-Russian crude in reaction to the recent international sanctions on Moscow, as reported by market insiders. The country is a significant buyer of oil from Russia, along with Beijing and New Delhi, but refiners are following India's example in cutting back imports.

SOCAR Turkey Plant Diversifies Crude Procurement

One of the largest Turkish refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), owned by Azeri company SOCAR, has recently acquired four cargoes of crude from Iraqi, Kazakh, and additional alternative suppliers for December arrival, as per insiders. These purchases represent approximately tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian crude, varying by shipment volume. By comparison, Russian crude accounted for virtually all of the plant's supply in recent months, amounting to approximately 210,000 barrels per day, according to trade data. SOCAR refused to comment.

Another Major Refiner Likewise Boosting Alternative Purchases

Another major Turkey's oil processor – Tupras refinery – was also raising purchases of alternative grades of crude, according to two sources. The company was also expected to soon entirely phase out Russian crude at a key facility of its two major domestic plants to continue fuel exports to Europe without violating the EU’s upcoming sanctions. The refiner declined to comment to a inquiry for a statement.

Ukrainian Sends Elite Units to Pokrovsk

Kyiv has sent special forces to the heavily contested eastern city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to repel an fierce Russian assault comprising thousands of soldiers, as stated by Ukraine's senior military leader. The city, dubbed “the gateway to Donetsk,” lies on a major logistical route for the Kyiv's army and has been in Russia's sights for over a twelve months as Moscow aims to seize the entire eastern Donetsk region.

Recent Updates in the City

At least two hundred Russian soldiers had penetrated the city's defensive lines, Ukrainian officials said recently, while analysts assessed that others were closing in on its outskirts in a encircling movement. In his nightly speech on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the fighting in Pokrovsk and “successes in the destruction of the invading forces.”

Zelenskyy Announces Enhanced Air Defence System

The president, who has been urging his partners for additional air defense systems to hold off Moscow's strikes, announced on Sunday that the country had reinforced its air-defence network with Germany’s support. “We have boosted the U.S.-made Patriot element of our national air defense,” he said, referring to the sophisticated American air-defence systems. Not providing additional details, the Ukraine's leader specifically thanked Germany and its leader, the German chancellor, for gratitude.

Russian Strikes Kill Innocents, Disrupt Power

Moscow's drones and missiles targeting Ukraine killed no fewer than six people, including 2 minors, and cut power to tens of thousands of households, officials reported on this past Sunday. Russian forces struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, according to the office of Ukraine’s prosecutor general. The children were male minors of ages eleven and fourteen, stated Ukraine’s ombudsman. The strikes disrupted power to the whole eastern Donetsk region as well as almost 58 thousand homes in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders announced. The Vostok military unit said some of its personnel were killed in one of the enemy attacks on the region.