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Ex-President Donald Trump indicated on Sunday that he is not actively contemplating providing Ukrainian forces with advanced Tomahawk missiles. After being asked by a reporter on Air Force One, he answered, “No, not at the moment.” Recent accounts had indicated the U.S. Department of Defense told the administration that U.S. stockpiles of Tomahawks were sufficient to allow such a delivery.

Ukrainian Defense Efforts Persist Without Weapon Lack

While Ukrainian forces has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to carry out far-reaching attacks against Russian targets, it has still managed to conduct a effective operation using its domestically-produced drones and missiles against Moscow's armed and key objectives, such as oil depots and processing plants. This past Sunday, a Kyiv's drone attack targeted the Tuapse oil port on the Black Sea, causing a blaze and damaging two vessels, according to Russian authorities. Adjacent Russian airports in the region also had to be closed.

Turkey Refineries Turn to Alternative Crude Supplies

Ankara's largest oil refining facilities are boosting purchases of non-Russian crude in reaction to the latest international sanctions on Moscow, as reported by industry sources. Turkey is a significant purchaser of Russian crude, together with China and India, but refiners are mirroring India's lead in reducing supplies.

STAR Refinery Expands Oil Sources

A major Turkish refining plants, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), operated by Azeri firm SOCAR, has lately acquired four cargoes of crude from Iraqi, Kazakh, and additional alternative suppliers for year-end delivery, according to insiders. These purchases represent roughly tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of alternative supply, varying by shipment volume. In contrast, Russian crude made up virtually the entirety of the STAR refinery's crude intake in October and September, amounting to about 210 thousand barrels per day, according to trade information. SOCAR refused to provide a statement.

Tupras Also Boosting Alternative Buys

The other major Turkish oil processor – Tupras – was also raising acquisitions of alternative grades of crude, as stated by multiple sources. The company was furthermore expected to soon entirely eliminate imports from Russia at one of its primary major Turkish plants to continue petroleum exports to the EU without violating the European Union's incoming restrictions. Tupras did not respond to a inquiry for a statement.

Ukrainian Deploys Special Forces to Pokrovsk

Kyiv has sent elite troops to the embattled east city of Pokrovsk in an effort to repel an fierce Moscow's offensive involving thousands of troops, as stated by Kyiv’s senior commander. Pokrovsk, called “the gateway to Donetsk,” lies on a major supply route for the Ukrainian military and has been under Russia's sights for over a year as Moscow pushes to control the entire eastern Donetsk area.

Recent Developments in Pokrovsk

No fewer than two hundred Moscow's troops had breached Pokrovsk’s defences, Kyiv said recently, while analysts assessed that additional forces were closing in on its perimeter in a encircling maneuver. In his nightly speech on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the fighting in the city and “successes in the elimination of the invading forces.”

Zelenskyy Announces Enhanced Air Defence System

The president, who has been pushing his partners for additional air defense systems to hold off Moscow's attacks, announced on Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air defense network with Germany’s support. “We have strengthened the Patriot element of our Ukrainian air defence,” he declared, mentioning the sophisticated American air-defence systems. Not providing further details, the Ukraine's leader specifically thanked Germany and its leader, Friedrich Merz, for thanks.

Moscow's Attacks Claim Innocents, Disrupt Electricity

Russian unmanned aircraft and rockets fired at Ukrainian territory killed no fewer than 6 people, among them two minors, and cut power to tens of thousands of residents, authorities reported on Sunday. Moscow's military struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, according to the office of Ukraine’s chief prosecutor. The victims were male minors of ages eleven and fourteen, said Ukraine’s human rights commissioner. The attacks disrupted electricity to the whole east Donetsk region as well as nearly 58,000 households in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. Ukraine’s Vostok army group confirmed a number of its personnel were killed in one of the Russian strikes on the region.