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Ex-President Donald Trump stated on Sunday that he is not seriously considering sending Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles. After being asked by a journalist on Air Force One, he replied, “No, not really.” Earlier reports had suggested the U.S. Department of Defense told the administration that American stockpiles of Tomahawks were ample to allow this transfer.

Ukrainian Defense Efforts Continue Without Weapon Shortage

Although Ukrainian forces has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to conduct long-range attacks against Russian targets, it has still succeeded to conduct a successful operation using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and rockets against Russian armed and key objectives, such as oil depots and processing plants. On Sunday, a Ukrainian airstrike struck the port facility on the coast, igniting a fire and damaging two ships, as stated by Russian authorities. Adjacent airfields in the area also had to be closed.

Turkish Refineries Turn to Non-Russian Oil Sources

Turkey's biggest oil refining facilities are increasing procurement of non-Russian crude in response to the latest international restrictions on Moscow, as reported by industry insiders. Turkey is a significant purchaser of oil from Russia, together with Beijing and India, but processing companies are following New Delhi's example in cutting back supplies.

STAR Plant Diversifies Oil Sources

A major Turkey's refining plants, the STAR refinery, owned by Azerbaijani firm SOCAR, has lately acquired four shipments of crude from Iraqi, Kazakhstan, and additional alternative suppliers for year-end arrival, according to insiders. These purchases amount to roughly tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of alternative crude, varying by cargo size. By comparison, Russian crude made up nearly all of the STAR refinery's crude intake in October and September, amounting to approximately 210,000 bpd, based on market data. SOCAR declined to comment.

Another Major Refiner Likewise Boosting Alternative Buys

The other major Turkey's oil processor – Tupras – was also raising purchases of non-Russian grades of crude, as stated by multiple sources. The company was also likely to in the near future completely eliminate Russian crude at a key facility of its two major Turkish refineries to continue petroleum exports to Europe without breaching the European Union's upcoming sanctions. The refiner declined to comment to a request for a statement.

Ukrainian Deploys Special Forces to Eastern City

Ukraine has deployed elite troops to the heavily contested east city of Pokrovsk in an effort to repel an fierce Russian offensive involving a large number of soldiers, as stated by Kyiv’s top military leader. The city, called “the entrance to Donetsk,” is located on a key logistical route for the Kyiv's army and has been under Russia's crosshairs for more than a year as Russia pushes to control the whole eastern Donetsk region.

Latest Updates in the City

No fewer than two hundred Moscow's soldiers had penetrated Pokrovsk’s defensive lines, Ukrainian officials said last week, while military experts assessed that others were advancing on its outskirts in a encircling maneuver. In his evening address on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the combat in the city and “successes in the elimination of the occupiers.”

Zelenskyy Reveals Strengthened Air Defence Network

Zelenskyy, who has been pushing his partners for more air defense systems to hold off Russia’s attacks, stated on this past Sunday that Ukraine had strengthened its air defense network with Germany’s assistance. “We've boosted the Patriot element of our national air defence,” he declared, referring to the advanced American air-defence systems. Without providing additional information, the Ukrainian president specifically thanked Germany and its leader, the German chancellor, for gratitude.

Russian Attacks Claim Civilians, Disrupt Power

Russian drones and missiles fired at Ukraine killed at least six individuals, among them 2 minors, and disrupted electricity to thousands of households, authorities said on Sunday. Moscow's military struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, said the office of the country's prosecutor general. The children were male minors of ages eleven and fourteen, said Ukraine’s human rights commissioner. The strikes cut electricity to the entire east Donetsk area as well as nearly 58,000 households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their governors said. Ukraine’s Eastern military unit said some of its members were killed in a particular of the enemy attacks on Dnipropetrovsk.