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Ex-President Trump stated this past Sunday that he was not really contemplating supplying Ukrainian forces with advanced Tomahawk cruise missiles. After being asked by a journalist aboard Air Force One, he replied, “No, not currently.” Earlier reports had claimed the Pentagon told the administration that American inventories of Tomahawks were adequate to allow such a transfer.

Ukrainian Defense Efforts Persist Despite Missile Lack

Although Ukrainian forces has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to execute long-range strikes against Russian targets, it has still succeeded to wage a effective campaign using its own unmanned aerial vehicles and rockets against Russian military and strategic objectives, such as oil depots and processing plants. On Sunday, a Kyiv's drone attack struck the port facility on the Black Sea, causing a fire and harming two vessels, as stated by Moscow officials. Nearby airfields in the area also had to be shut down.

Turkey Refineries Turn to Alternative Crude Sources

Turkey's largest oil refining facilities are boosting procurement of non-Russian crude in response to the latest international sanctions on Moscow, as reported by industry sources. Turkey is a major buyer of Russian crude, along with China and New Delhi, but processing companies are mirroring New Delhi's lead in cutting back supplies.

SOCAR Turkey Plant Expands Oil Sources

A major Turkish refining plants, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), operated by Azeri company SOCAR, has lately acquired four shipments of crude from Iraqi, Kazakhstan, and additional alternative suppliers for December arrival, as per insiders. These purchases amount to roughly 77,000 to 129,000 barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian crude, depending on shipment volume. In contrast, oil from Russia made up nearly the entirety of the plant's supply in recent months, amounting to about 210 thousand bpd, based on trade data. SOCAR refused to provide a statement.

Tupras Likewise Boosting Non-Russian Buys

Another leading Turkey's oil processor – Tupras refinery – was additionally increasing purchases of alternative grades of crude, according to two insiders. Tupras was also likely to in the near future entirely eliminate Russian crude at a key facility of its two main domestic refineries to maintain fuel exports to Europe without breaching the European Union's upcoming sanctions. Tupras declined to comment to a inquiry for comment.

Ukrainian Deploys Elite Units to Pokrovsk

Kyiv has sent elite troops to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to repel an intense Russian assault involving a large number of soldiers, as stated by Kyiv’s senior commander. The city, called “the entrance to Donetsk,” lies on a key supply route for the Kyiv's military and has been under Moscow’s sights for more than a twelve months as Russia aims to seize the whole east Donetsk region.

Latest Updates in Pokrovsk

No fewer than 200 Russian troops had penetrated the city's defences, Ukrainian officials said recently, while analysts concluded that additional forces were advancing on its outskirts in a pincer-shaped movement. In his nightly speech on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the fighting in Pokrovsk and “results in the destruction of the occupiers.”

Ukrainian President Announces Enhanced Air Defense System

The president, who has been pushing his allies for additional air defences to hold off Russia’s attacks, announced on this past Sunday that the country had reinforced its air-defence network with Berlin's support. “We have strengthened the Patriot element of our Ukrainian air defense,” he said, mentioning the sophisticated American defense systems. Without offering further information, the Ukraine's president specifically thanked Berlin and its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, for gratitude.

Moscow's Attacks Claim Innocents, Cut Electricity

Russian unmanned aircraft and missiles targeting Ukraine took the lives of no fewer than six individuals, among them two children, and disrupted power to thousands of residents, officials reported on Sunday. Moscow's military attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, according to the office of Ukraine’s prosecutor general. The victims were two boys aged eleven and fourteen, said Ukraine’s human rights commissioner. Russia’s strikes cut electricity to the entire east Donetsk area as well as almost 58 thousand homes in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their governors announced. The Eastern military unit said a number of its personnel were killed in a particular of the enemy attacks on Dnipropetrovsk.