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FormerPresident Trump indicated on Sunday that he was not seriously planning sending Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. In response to a query by a reporter on his plane, he replied, “No, not at the moment.” Recent reports had indicated the Pentagon informed the White House that U.S. stockpiles of Tomahawks were adequate to enable this transfer.

Ukraine's Military Efforts Persist Despite Weapon Lack

Although Ukraine has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to carry out far-reaching attacks against Russian targets, it has still managed to conduct a successful campaign using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles against Russian armed and key objectives, such as fuel storage facilities and processing plants. This past Sunday, a Kyiv's airstrike hit the Tuapse oil port on the coast, igniting a blaze and damaging two ships, as stated by Moscow authorities. Adjacent Russian airports in the area also had to be shut down.

Turkish Refineries Turn to Alternative Crude Sources

Turkey's largest oil refineries are boosting purchases of alternative crude in reaction to the recent international sanctions on Moscow, as reported by industry insiders. The country is a significant purchaser of Russian crude, along with Beijing and New Delhi, but refiners are following India's example in cutting back supplies.

SOCAR Turkey Refinery Expands Crude Sources

One of the largest Turkey's refineries, the STAR refinery, owned by Azerbaijani company SOCAR, has recently acquired multiple cargoes of crude from Iraq, Kazakhstan, and additional alternative suppliers for year-end delivery, according to sources. This represent approximately tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian crude, varying by cargo size. In contrast, oil from Russia made up virtually all of the plant's crude intake in October and September, totaling approximately 210 thousand barrels per day, based on market information. SOCAR declined to comment.

Tupras Likewise Boosting Non-Russian Buys

The other major Turkey's oil processor – Tupras – was also raising purchases of non-Russian grades of crude, according to multiple sources. Tupras was furthermore expected to soon entirely phase out imports from Russia at a key facility of its two main Turkish plants to continue petroleum exports to the EU without violating the European Union's upcoming restrictions. Tupras declined to comment to a inquiry for comment.

Ukraine Deploys Special Forces to Eastern City

Kyiv has deployed elite troops to the heavily contested east city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an intense Moscow's offensive comprising a large number of soldiers, as stated by Kyiv’s senior military leader. Pokrovsk, dubbed “the gateway to Donetsk,” lies on a key logistical line for the Kyiv's army and has been under Moscow’s crosshairs for more than a year as Russia aims to control the entire eastern Donetsk area.

Latest Developments in Pokrovsk

At least 200 Russian soldiers had penetrated Pokrovsk’s defences, Ukrainian officials reported recently, while analysts concluded that additional forces were closing in on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped movement. In his evening speech on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the fighting in Pokrovsk and “successes in the destruction of the invading forces.”

Zelenskyy Reveals Enhanced Air Defense System

The president, who has been pushing his allies for additional air defense systems to counter Russia’s strikes, stated on this past Sunday that the country had strengthened its air defense network with Berlin's assistance. “We've strengthened the Patriot element of our national air defence,” he said, mentioning the advanced U.S.-made air-defence systems. Without providing further information, the Ukrainian president singled out Germany and its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, for thanks.

Russian Strikes Kill Innocents, Cut Electricity

Moscow's unmanned aircraft and missiles fired at Ukrainian territory killed at least 6 individuals, including two children, and cut electricity to tens of thousands of households, officials said on this past Sunday. Russian forces struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the office of Ukraine’s prosecutor general. The victims were male minors of ages eleven and fourteen, said the nation's human rights commissioner. Russia’s attacks disrupted electricity to the whole eastern Donetsk area as well as almost 58 thousand households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their governors said. Ukraine’s Vostok army group said some of its personnel were killed in a particular of the enemy attacks on the region.