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FormerPresident Donald Trump stated this past Sunday that he was not seriously considering providing Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. After being asked by a reporter on his plane, he replied, “No, not at the moment.” Recent reports had indicated the Pentagon told the administration that American stockpiles of Tomahawks were sufficient to allow such a delivery.

Ukrainian Military Actions Persist Despite Missile Shortage

Although Ukraine has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to execute far-reaching strikes against Russia, it has nonetheless succeeded to wage a successful operation using its own unmanned aerial vehicles and rockets against Moscow's military and key targets, including oil depots and processing plants. On Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack hit the port facility on the Black Sea, igniting a fire and harming two vessels, according to Moscow authorities. Nearby airfields in the region also had to be closed.

Turkey Oil Plants Shift to Non-Russian Crude Sources

Ankara's largest oil refining facilities are boosting procurement of non-Russian crude in response to the latest international sanctions on Moscow, according to market insiders. Turkey is a major buyer of Russian crude, along with Beijing and India, but processing companies are following New Delhi's example in reducing imports.

SOCAR Turkey Refinery Diversifies Oil Sources

A major Turkish refining plants, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), owned by Azeri firm SOCAR, has recently acquired four shipments of crude from Iraqi, Kazakhstan, and additional non-Russian producers for December arrival, as per insiders. These purchases amount to approximately tens of thousands of barrels daily of non-Russian supply, depending on shipment volume. By comparison, oil from Russia made up virtually all of the plant's supply in recent months, amounting to about 210,000 bpd, based on trade data. SOCAR refused to comment.

Tupras Likewise Increasing Alternative Purchases

The other major Turkish oil processor – Tupras – was also raising purchases of alternative types of crude, according to multiple insiders. The company was also likely to soon entirely phase out Russian crude at one of its primary main Turkish refineries to continue fuel exports to the EU without breaching the EU’s incoming restrictions. The refiner did not respond to a request for a statement.

Ukraine Sends Special Forces to Pokrovsk

Ukraine has deployed special forces to the heavily contested eastern city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to repel an fierce Russian assault comprising a large number of soldiers, according to Kyiv’s top commander. Pokrovsk, called “the entrance to Donetsk,” lies on a major logistical route for the Ukrainian military and has been in Russia's sights for more than a twelve months as Moscow pushes to seize the entire east Donetsk area.

Latest Updates in Pokrovsk

At least two hundred Russian soldiers had breached the city's defensive lines, Kyiv said recently, while analysts assessed that others were closing in on its outskirts in a encircling movement. In his evening address on this past Sunday, the Ukrainian president spoke of the combat in the city and “successes in the destruction of the occupiers.”

Zelenskyy Announces Strengthened Air Defense Network

Zelenskyy, who has been pushing his partners for more air defences to counter Moscow's strikes, stated on Sunday that the country had reinforced its air-defence network with Berlin's assistance. “We have boosted the U.S.-made Patriot element of our national air defence,” he said, referring to the advanced U.S.-made air-defence systems. Not providing additional details, the Ukrainian president specifically thanked Berlin and its leader, the German chancellor, for thanks.

Moscow's Strikes Claim Innocents, Disrupt Power

Russian drones and rockets fired at Ukrainian territory took the lives of no fewer than six individuals, including two minors, and cut electricity to thousands of residents, officials said on this past Sunday. Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, according to the representatives of Ukraine’s prosecutor general. The victims were male minors of ages eleven and 14, said the nation's human rights commissioner. The strikes cut electricity to the entire east Donetsk region as well as nearly 58,000 homes in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders announced. The Eastern military unit confirmed some of its personnel were killed in one of the enemy attacks on the region.