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Ex-President Trump stated this past Sunday that he was not really contemplating supplying Ukrainian forces with advanced Tomahawk cruise missiles. After being asked by a reporter on his plane, he responded, “No, not currently.” Recent reports had claimed the U.S. Department of Defense told the administration that U.S. stockpiles of Tomahawks were adequate to enable such a delivery.

Ukrainian Defense Actions Persist Without Missile Lack

Although Ukraine has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to conduct long-range attacks against Russian targets, it has still succeeded to wage a successful operation using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and rockets against Moscow's military and strategic objectives, including fuel storage facilities and refineries. This past Sunday, a Kyiv's airstrike hit the port facility on the coast, igniting a blaze and damaging two vessels, according to Russian officials. Nearby Russian airports in the area also had to be closed.

Turkish Refineries Turn to Alternative Oil Sources

Turkey's largest oil refining facilities are increasing purchases of alternative crude in response to the recent western restrictions on Russia, as reported by market sources. The country is a major buyer of Russian crude, along with Beijing and New Delhi, but processing companies are mirroring New Delhi's example in reducing supplies.

STAR Plant Diversifies Oil Sources

One of the largest Turkish refineries, the STAR refinery, owned by Azeri firm SOCAR, has lately purchased four cargoes of crude from Iraqi, Kazakh, and other alternative suppliers for year-end arrival, according to sources. This amount to approximately 77,000 to 129,000 barrels per day (bpd) of alternative supply, depending on cargo size. In contrast, oil from Russia made up nearly the entirety of the plant's crude intake in recent months, totaling approximately 210,000 barrels per day, based on market information. SOCAR declined to comment.

Tupras Likewise Increasing Alternative Buys

Another leading Turkish oil processor – Tupras – was also raising acquisitions of non-Russian types of crude, as stated by multiple insiders. The company was furthermore likely to soon completely eliminate imports from Russia at a key facility of its primary major Turkish refineries to maintain petroleum exports to Europe without breaching the European Union's incoming sanctions. The refiner declined to comment to a inquiry for comment.

Ukrainian Sends Elite Units to Eastern City

Ukraine has sent special forces to the embattled east city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an intense Russian offensive involving thousands of soldiers, as stated by Kyiv’s senior military leader. The city, dubbed “the entrance to Donetsk,” lies on a major logistical route for the Ukrainian military and has been under Russia's sights for more than a year as Russia pushes to control the entire east Donetsk region.

Latest Developments in the City

At least 200 Russian troops had breached Pokrovsk’s defences, Kyiv said last week, while analysts assessed that additional forces were closing in on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped maneuver. In his nightly address on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the combat in the city and “results in the elimination of the invading forces.”

Zelenskyy Announces Enhanced Air Defense Network

The president, who has been urging his partners for additional air defense systems to counter Moscow's strikes, announced on Sunday that the country had reinforced its air-defence capabilities with Germany’s assistance. “We've boosted the U.S.-made Patriot element of our national air defense,” he declared, referring to the sophisticated American defense systems. Without providing additional details, the Ukrainian leader singled out Germany and its chancellor, the German chancellor, for thanks.

Russian Strikes Kill Civilians, Disrupt Power

Moscow's drones and rockets fired at Ukrainian territory took the lives of at least 6 individuals, including two children, and disrupted power to tens of thousands of households, authorities reported on Sunday. Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, said the office of the country's prosecutor general. The children were two boys aged 11 and 14, said the nation's ombudsman. The strikes cut power to the whole eastern Donetsk area as well as nearly 58 thousand households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their governors announced. Ukraine’s Eastern army group confirmed a number of its personnel were killed in one of the Russian strikes on the region.