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FormerPresident Trump remarked on Sunday that he was not seriously considering supplying Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. When questioned by a journalist on Air Force One, he answered, “No, not currently.” Recent reports had claimed the U.S. Department of Defense told the White House that American stockpiles of Tomahawks were sufficient to allow such a transfer.

Ukrainian Defense Actions Persist Despite Missile Lack

Although Ukrainian forces has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to conduct long-range strikes against Russian targets, it has still managed to wage a effective operation using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles against Moscow's military and strategic objectives, such as oil depots and refineries. On Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack struck the Tuapse oil port on the Black Sea, igniting a blaze and damaging two vessels, as stated by Russian officials. Adjacent Russian airports in the area also had to be shut down.

Turkey Refineries Turn to Alternative Oil Sources

Turkey's biggest oil refining facilities are increasing purchases of non-Russian crude in response to the recent international restrictions on Moscow, according to market sources. The country is a significant buyer of oil from Russia, together with Beijing and India, but processing companies are mirroring India's lead in reducing imports.

STAR Plant Expands Crude Sources

A major Turkey's refining plants, the STAR refinery, operated by Azeri firm SOCAR, has lately purchased four cargoes of crude from Iraqi, Kazakh, and additional non-Russian suppliers for December arrival, according to sources. These purchases amount to approximately tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of alternative supply, depending on cargo size. In contrast, oil from Russia accounted for virtually the entirety of the plant's crude intake in October and September, amounting to approximately 210,000 bpd, based on trade information. SOCAR declined to comment.

Another Major Refiner Also Boosting Alternative Buys

The other major Turkey's oil processor – Tupras refinery – was also increasing acquisitions of alternative grades of crude, according to two insiders. Tupras was also likely to in the near future entirely eliminate imports from Russia at a key facility of its two major Turkish refineries to maintain petroleum exports to the EU without breaching the EU’s upcoming restrictions. The refiner did not respond to a inquiry for comment.

Ukrainian Sends Special Forces to Pokrovsk

Kyiv has sent special forces to the heavily contested east city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to push back an intense Moscow's assault comprising a large number of troops, according to Ukraine's senior commander. Pokrovsk, dubbed “the gateway to Donetsk,” lies on a key logistical route for the Ukrainian army and has been under Russia's crosshairs for more than a year as Moscow pushes to control the whole eastern Donetsk area.

Latest Updates in the City

No fewer than 200 Moscow's soldiers had breached the city's defences, Ukrainian officials said recently, while analysts concluded that others were closing in on its outskirts in a encircling movement. In his evening speech on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the fighting in Pokrovsk and “successes in the destruction of the occupiers.”

Zelenskyy Reveals Strengthened Air Defence Network

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-defence network with Berlin's assistance. “We've boosted the Patriot component of our national air defense,” Zelenskyy declared, mentioning the advanced U.S.-made air-defence systems. Not providing further details, the Ukraine's leader singled out Berlin and its leader, Friedrich Merz, for gratitude.

Russian Strikes Claim Innocents, Cut Power

Moscow's drones and rockets fired at Ukraine took the lives of no fewer than 6 people, among them 2 minors, and cut electricity to tens of thousands of households, authorities reported on this past Sunday. Moscow's military struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, according to the office of Ukraine’s prosecutor general. The children were two boys aged eleven and 14, stated Ukraine’s ombudsman. The strikes disrupted electricity to the whole eastern Donetsk region as well as almost 58 thousand homes in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. The Vostok army group confirmed a number of its members were killed in one of the Russian attacks on the region.