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FormerPresident Trump indicated this past Sunday that he is not really planning providing Ukraine with advanced Tomahawk missiles. In response to a query by a journalist on Air Force One, he replied, “No, not really.” Recent accounts had suggested the U.S. Department of Defense informed the White House that American stockpiles of Tomahawks were sufficient to enable such a delivery.

Ukrainian Military Actions Continue Without Weapon Lack

While Ukrainian forces has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to execute far-reaching strikes against Russian targets, it has still succeeded to conduct a successful operation using its own unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles against Moscow's military and strategic objectives, such as oil depots and refineries. On Sunday, a Kyiv's airstrike struck the port facility on the Black Sea, causing a blaze and harming two ships, as stated by Moscow officials. Adjacent Russian airports in the region also had to be closed.

Turkish Oil Plants Shift to Alternative Crude Supplies

Turkey's largest oil refineries are increasing procurement of non-Russian crude in response to the recent international restrictions on Russia, according to industry sources. Turkey is a significant purchaser of Russian crude, together with China and India, but refiners are mirroring India's example in cutting back supplies.

STAR Refinery Expands Oil Procurement

A major Turkey's refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), operated by Azeri firm SOCAR, has lately acquired multiple cargoes of crude from Iraqi, Kazakh, and additional alternative suppliers for December delivery, as per sources. This amount to approximately 77,000 to 129,000 barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian supply, varying by shipment volume. In contrast, Russian crude accounted for nearly the entirety of the plant's supply in recent months, totaling about 210 thousand bpd, according to trade information. SOCAR refused to provide a statement.

Another Major Refiner Likewise Boosting Alternative Purchases

The other major Turkish oil processor – Tupras – was also increasing purchases of alternative types of crude, as stated by multiple sources. Tupras was furthermore expected to in the near future entirely eliminate Russian crude at one of its primary major domestic plants to maintain fuel shipments to the EU without violating the European Union's incoming restrictions. Tupras declined to comment to a request for comment.

Ukrainian Sends Special Forces to Pokrovsk

Kyiv has deployed special forces to the heavily contested eastern city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to push back an intense Russian assault involving thousands of soldiers, according to Kyiv’s senior military leader. Pokrovsk, called “the gateway to Donetsk,” is located on a key supply route for the Ukrainian military and has been under Moscow’s sights for more than a twelve months as Moscow pushes to control the entire east Donetsk region.

Recent Developments in the City

No fewer than two hundred Russian soldiers had penetrated Pokrovsk’s defences, Kyiv said last week, while military experts concluded that others were closing in on its outskirts in a pincer-shaped movement. In his evening address on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the fighting in Pokrovsk and “successes in the destruction of the occupiers.”

Ukrainian President Reveals Strengthened Air Defense Network

The president, who has been urging his allies for more air defences to counter Moscow's strikes, stated on this past Sunday that the country had strengthened its air defense network with Berlin's assistance. “We have boosted the Patriot element of our Ukrainian air defence,” he declared, referring to the advanced American air-defence systems. Without providing additional details, the Ukrainian president singled out Germany and its chancellor, the German chancellor, for thanks.

Moscow's Strikes Kill Innocents, Disrupt Electricity

Russian drones and missiles fired at Ukrainian territory killed at least six people, including two children, and disrupted power to thousands of households, authorities said on this past Sunday. Moscow's military attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, said the representatives of the country's prosecutor general. The victims were two boys aged 11 and 14, said the nation's human rights commissioner. The attacks disrupted electricity to the whole east Donetsk area as well as nearly 58 thousand households in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders announced. Ukraine’s Eastern military unit confirmed a number of its members were killed in one of the Russian attacks on Dnipropetrovsk.