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Ex-President Donald Trump remarked on Sunday that he was not really planning supplying Ukrainian forces with advanced Tomahawk missiles. When questioned by a journalist on Air Force One, he answered, “No, not at the moment.” Recent reports had suggested the Pentagon told the White House that U.S. inventories of Tomahawks were sufficient to allow such a delivery.

Ukrainian Defense Efforts Persist Despite Weapon Shortage

Although Ukraine has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to execute far-reaching attacks against Russian targets, it has nonetheless succeeded to conduct a effective operation using its own drones and missiles against Moscow's military and strategic targets, such as fuel storage facilities and processing plants. On Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack targeted the port facility on the coast, causing a fire and damaging two ships, according to Moscow authorities. Nearby Russian airports in the area also had to be shut down.

Turkey Refineries Shift to Non-Russian Oil Supplies

Turkey's largest oil refining facilities are boosting purchases of non-Russian crude in reaction to the recent international sanctions on Russia, as reported by industry sources. Turkey is a major purchaser of oil from Russia, together with China and India, but processing companies are following New Delhi's example in reducing imports.

STAR Refinery Diversifies Crude Sources

One of the largest Turkish refineries, the STAR refinery, owned by Azerbaijani firm SOCAR, has lately acquired four cargoes of crude from Iraq, Kazakhstan, and other non-Russian suppliers for year-end delivery, according to insiders. This amount to roughly 77,000 to 129,000 barrels daily of non-Russian supply, depending on cargo size. In contrast, oil from Russia accounted for virtually the entirety of the STAR refinery's supply in October and September, amounting to approximately 210 thousand barrels per day, according to trade data. SOCAR declined to comment.

Tupras Likewise Boosting Alternative Purchases

Another leading Turkish refiner – Tupras – was additionally increasing acquisitions of non-Russian types of crude, according to two insiders. The company was furthermore expected to soon entirely eliminate imports from Russia at a key facility of its primary main domestic plants to maintain fuel shipments to the EU without breaching the EU’s upcoming restrictions. Tupras did not respond to a inquiry for a statement.

Ukraine Deploys Special Forces to Pokrovsk

Ukraine has deployed elite troops to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an intense Moscow's offensive comprising a large number of troops, as stated by Ukraine's top commander. The city, called “the entrance to Donetsk,” is located on a major supply route for the Kyiv's army and has been in Russia's sights for over a year as Russia pushes to control the whole eastern Donetsk area.

Recent Updates in the City

No fewer than 200 Moscow's soldiers had breached the city's defensive lines, Kyiv said recently, while analysts assessed that additional forces were closing in on its outskirts in a pincer-shaped movement. In his nightly speech on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the combat in the city and “successes in the destruction of the invading forces.”

Ukrainian President Reveals Enhanced Air Defense Network

The president, who has been urging his allies for more air defense systems to hold off Moscow's attacks, stated on this past Sunday that Ukraine had strengthened its air-defence capabilities with Germany’s support. “We've boosted the U.S.-made Patriot component of our national air defense,” he said, referring to the advanced American defense systems. Not providing further details, the Ukrainian leader singled out Berlin and its leader, the German chancellor, for gratitude.

Moscow's Attacks Claim Innocents, Cut Electricity

Russian unmanned aircraft and missiles targeting Ukrainian territory killed no fewer than 6 people, among them 2 minors, and cut power to tens of thousands of households, officials said on this past Sunday. Russian forces struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, said the office of Ukraine’s prosecutor general. The children were two boys of ages eleven and fourteen, stated Ukraine’s human rights commissioner. The strikes cut electricity to the whole eastern Donetsk region as well as almost 58 thousand households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their governors announced. Ukraine’s Eastern military unit said a number of its members were killed in one of the Russian attacks on Dnipropetrovsk.