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FormerPresident Donald Trump remarked this past Sunday that he was not seriously planning providing Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk missiles. After being asked by a journalist on his plane, he responded, “No, not at the moment.” Recent accounts had indicated the U.S. Department of Defense told the White House that U.S. inventories of Tomahawks were sufficient to allow this delivery.

Ukraine's Military Efforts Persist Despite Weapon Shortage

While Ukraine has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to conduct far-reaching strikes against Russia, it has nonetheless managed to wage a successful campaign using its own drones and missiles against Moscow's armed and strategic objectives, including fuel storage facilities and processing plants. On Sunday, a Kyiv's drone attack hit the Tuapse oil port on the Black Sea, igniting a blaze and harming two ships, according to Moscow authorities. Nearby Russian airports in the region also had to be shut down.

Turkish Oil Plants Shift to Alternative Crude Supplies

Turkey's biggest oil refineries are boosting purchases of alternative crude in reaction to the latest international sanctions on Moscow, according to market sources. The country is a major purchaser of oil from Russia, along with Beijing and New Delhi, but refiners are following New Delhi's lead in cutting back supplies.

STAR Plant Diversifies Oil Sources

A major Turkish refineries, the STAR refinery, operated by Azerbaijani company SOCAR, has lately purchased four shipments of crude from Iraq, Kazakh, and other non-Russian suppliers for December delivery, according to sources. This amount to roughly 77,000 to 129,000 barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian supply, depending on cargo size. In contrast, oil from Russia made up virtually all of the STAR refinery's supply in recent months, amounting to about 210,000 barrels per day, according to trade data. SOCAR refused to provide a statement.

Another Major Refiner Also Boosting Alternative Buys

Another major Turkish refiner – Tupras – was also increasing acquisitions of alternative types of crude, as stated by two insiders. Tupras was also expected to soon entirely phase out Russian crude at a key facility of its primary main Turkish plants to maintain fuel exports to the EU without breaching the EU’s upcoming sanctions. The refiner declined to comment to a request for a statement.

Ukraine Sends Elite Units to Eastern City

Kyiv has deployed special forces to the heavily contested east city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an intense Moscow's offensive comprising a large number of troops, according to Kyiv’s top commander. The city, called “the entrance to Donetsk,” lies on a major logistical route for the Kyiv's military and has been under Russia's crosshairs for over a twelve months as Russia aims to seize the whole east Donetsk region.

Latest Developments in Pokrovsk

At least 200 Russian troops had breached Pokrovsk’s defences, Kyiv said last week, while military experts concluded that additional forces were closing in on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped movement. In his nightly speech on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the combat in Pokrovsk and “results in the elimination of the occupiers.”

Zelenskyy Announces Enhanced Air Defense Network

Zelenskyy, who has been urging his partners for more air defences to hold off Russia’s strikes, announced on this past Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air-defence capabilities with Berlin's support. “We've boosted the U.S.-made Patriot component of our national air defense,” Zelenskyy said, mentioning the sophisticated U.S.-made defense systems. Not providing additional details, the Ukrainian leader specifically thanked Berlin and its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, for thanks.

Russian Attacks Kill Civilians, Cut Electricity

Russian unmanned aircraft and missiles fired at Ukrainian territory took the lives of at least 6 people, among them 2 children, and disrupted electricity to thousands of households, officials said on Sunday. Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, said the office of Ukraine’s chief prosecutor. The children were male minors aged 11 and fourteen, stated the nation's human rights commissioner. The attacks disrupted electricity to the entire eastern Donetsk region as well as almost 58 thousand households in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders announced. The Eastern military unit said a number of its personnel were killed in a particular of the enemy attacks on Dnipropetrovsk.