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FormerPresident Donald Trump remarked on Sunday that he was not actively planning providing Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles. In response to a query by a reporter aboard Air Force One, he replied, “No, not at the moment.” Recent accounts had claimed the U.S. Department of Defense told the administration that American inventories of Tomahawks were adequate to enable such a transfer.

Ukraine's Defense Efforts Persist Despite Missile Shortage

Although Ukraine has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to carry out far-reaching attacks against Russian targets, it has nonetheless succeeded to wage a effective campaign using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles against Russian armed and strategic objectives, such as oil depots and refineries. This past Sunday, a Kyiv's drone attack targeted the port facility on the Black Sea, causing a blaze and harming two ships, according to Russian authorities. Nearby Russian airports in the area also had to be shut down.

Turkey Oil Plants Shift to Alternative Crude Sources

Turkey's biggest oil refineries are increasing purchases of alternative crude in reaction to the latest international sanctions on Moscow, according to industry insiders. Turkey is a significant buyer of oil from Russia, along with China and New Delhi, but processing companies are following New Delhi's example in reducing supplies.

SOCAR Turkey Refinery Expands Crude Sources

A major Turkish refining plants, the STAR refinery, owned by Azeri firm SOCAR, has recently acquired four cargoes of crude from Iraqi, Kazakh, and additional non-Russian producers for year-end arrival, according to sources. This represent roughly tens of thousands of barrels daily of alternative crude, varying by shipment volume. By comparison, Russian crude accounted for virtually the entirety of the plant's crude intake in recent months, totaling about 210 thousand bpd, based on trade data. SOCAR declined to comment.

Tupras Also Boosting Alternative Buys

Another major Turkish refiner – Tupras refinery – was additionally increasing purchases of non-Russian grades of crude, as stated by two insiders. Tupras was also likely to in the near future entirely eliminate imports from Russia at one of its two main Turkish refineries to maintain fuel shipments to Europe without breaching the EU’s incoming restrictions. Tupras did not respond to a request for a statement.

Ukrainian Sends Elite Units to Pokrovsk

Kyiv has deployed elite troops to the embattled east city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to push back an fierce Moscow's offensive involving a large number of soldiers, according to Kyiv’s senior military leader. Pokrovsk, called “the entrance to Donetsk,” lies on a key logistical line for the Ukrainian army and has been under Moscow’s sights for over a year as Russia aims to control the whole east Donetsk region.

Recent Updates in the City

No fewer than 200 Moscow's soldiers had breached the city's defensive lines, Kyiv said recently, while analysts assessed that others 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 “results in the elimination of the invading forces.”

Ukrainian President Announces Enhanced Air Defence System

Zelenskyy, who has been pushing his partners for additional air defense systems to hold off Moscow's strikes, announced on Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air defense capabilities with Berlin's support. “We have boosted the Patriot element of our national air defence,” he declared, referring to the sophisticated American air-defence systems. Without offering further information, the Ukraine's president specifically thanked Berlin and its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, for gratitude.

Moscow's Strikes Claim Civilians, Cut Electricity

Russian unmanned aircraft and rockets targeting Ukrainian territory took the lives of no fewer than 6 individuals, including 2 minors, and cut power to thousands of residents, officials reported on Sunday. Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the representatives of the country's prosecutor general. The victims were two boys of ages 11 and fourteen, said Ukraine’s human rights commissioner. Russia’s strikes disrupted power to the whole east Donetsk area as well as nearly 58 thousand homes in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders announced. The Eastern army group said some of its members were killed in one of the enemy strikes on Dnipropetrovsk.