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FormerPresident Trump remarked on Sunday that he is not actively contemplating sending Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles. After being asked by a reporter on Air Force One, he answered, “No, not currently.” Recent accounts had claimed the Pentagon told the administration that American stockpiles of Tomahawks were sufficient to allow such a delivery.

Ukraine's Defense Actions Persist Without Missile Shortage

Although Ukrainian forces has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to execute long-range attacks against Russia, it has still managed to conduct a successful operation using its own drones and rockets against Russian armed and strategic objectives, including fuel storage facilities and processing plants. On Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack hit the Tuapse oil port on the coast, igniting a fire and damaging two vessels, as stated by Russian authorities. Adjacent airfields in the area also had to be shut down.

Turkish Oil Plants Turn to Alternative Oil Supplies

Ankara's biggest oil refineries are increasing procurement of alternative crude in response to the latest international restrictions on Moscow, as reported by market sources. Turkey is a major buyer of oil from Russia, together with China and New Delhi, but refiners are mirroring New Delhi's lead in cutting back supplies.

SOCAR Turkey Plant Expands Crude Sources

A major Turkey's refining plants, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), operated by Azerbaijani company SOCAR, has recently purchased four shipments of crude from Iraqi, Kazakhstan, and additional alternative producers for year-end delivery, as per insiders. This represent roughly tens of thousands of barrels daily of non-Russian crude, depending on shipment volume. By comparison, Russian crude accounted for virtually the entirety of the STAR refinery's crude intake in October and September, totaling approximately 210,000 barrels per day, according to market data. SOCAR declined to provide a statement.

Another Major Refiner Likewise Boosting Non-Russian Buys

Another major Turkish refiner – Tupras – was also raising purchases of non-Russian grades of crude, according to multiple insiders. Tupras was furthermore expected to in the near future entirely eliminate Russian crude at one of its primary major Turkish plants to maintain petroleum shipments to the EU without breaching the EU’s upcoming sanctions. Tupras did not respond to a inquiry for a statement.

Ukraine Deploys Elite Units to Pokrovsk

Ukraine has sent elite troops to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to repel an intense Russian offensive comprising a large number of soldiers, as stated by Kyiv’s senior military leader. The city, dubbed “the entrance to Donetsk,” is located on a major supply line for the Ukrainian military and has been under Moscow’s crosshairs for more than a year as Russia aims to control the whole east Donetsk area.

Latest Updates in Pokrovsk

At least 200 Moscow's soldiers had breached Pokrovsk’s defences, Kyiv reported recently, while analysts assessed that others were closing in on its outskirts in a encircling movement. In his nightly address on Sunday, the Ukrainian president mentioned the fighting in Pokrovsk and “results in the destruction of the occupiers.”

Ukrainian President Announces Strengthened Air Defence Network

Zelenskyy, who has been pushing his allies for additional air defense systems to counter Russia’s attacks, announced on this past Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air-defence network with Germany’s assistance. “We have boosted the Patriot component of our national air defense,” he said, referring to the advanced American air-defence systems. Without providing further details, the Ukrainian president singled out Germany and its leader, the German chancellor, for thanks.

Russian Attacks Claim Innocents, Cut Power

Russian drones and rockets fired at Ukrainian territory killed no fewer than six individuals, including two children, and disrupted electricity to thousands of residents, officials said on Sunday. Moscow's military struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, according to the representatives of the country's prosecutor general. The victims were male minors aged eleven and fourteen, said the nation's human rights commissioner. Russia’s strikes disrupted power to the entire eastern Donetsk region as well as almost 58 thousand homes in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their governors said. Ukraine’s Eastern army group confirmed some of its personnel were killed in a particular of the enemy strikes on Dnipropetrovsk.