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FormerPresident Donald Trump remarked on Sunday that he is not actively planning sending Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. After being asked by a reporter aboard Air Force One, he answered, “No, not currently.” Recent reports had suggested the U.S. Department of Defense told the White House that U.S. inventories of Tomahawks were ample to allow this transfer.

Ukraine's Military Efforts Persist Without Missile Shortage

While Ukraine has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to execute long-range strikes against Russian targets, it has nonetheless managed to conduct a successful operation using its own unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles against Moscow's armed and key targets, such as fuel storage facilities and refineries. On Sunday, a Kyiv's airstrike targeted the port facility on the Black Sea, causing a blaze and harming two ships, as stated by Russian authorities. Adjacent Russian airports in the region also had to be shut down.

Turkey Oil Plants Shift to Alternative Crude Sources

Ankara's largest oil refining facilities are increasing procurement of non-Russian crude in reaction to the recent western sanctions on Russia, as reported by market sources. Turkey is a major purchaser of oil from Russia, along with Beijing and New Delhi, but refiners are mirroring India's example in reducing imports.

STAR Refinery Diversifies Oil Procurement

A major Turkey's refining plants, the STAR refinery, operated by Azeri company SOCAR, has recently purchased four cargoes of crude from Iraqi, Kazakh, and additional non-Russian producers for December delivery, according to sources. These purchases amount to approximately tens of thousands of barrels daily of non-Russian crude, varying by cargo size. By comparison, oil from Russia accounted for virtually the entirety of the STAR refinery's supply in October and September, amounting to approximately 210 thousand bpd, based on trade information. SOCAR declined to comment.

Tupras Also Increasing Non-Russian Buys

The other leading Turkish oil processor – Tupras – was additionally increasing acquisitions of alternative grades of crude, as stated by two insiders. The company was furthermore expected to soon entirely phase out imports from Russia at one of its primary major Turkish refineries to maintain fuel exports to the EU without violating the European Union's upcoming restrictions. The refiner did not respond to a inquiry for comment.

Ukraine Sends Special Forces to Pokrovsk

Kyiv has sent elite troops to the heavily contested eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to repel an fierce Moscow's assault comprising a large number of soldiers, according to Kyiv’s top commander. The city, called “the gateway to Donetsk,” lies on a major supply line for the Ukrainian military and has been under Russia's crosshairs for over a year as Moscow pushes to control the whole eastern Donetsk region.

Recent Developments in the City

No fewer than 200 Russian soldiers had penetrated the city's defensive lines, Ukrainian officials said recently, while analysts assessed that additional forces were advancing on its outskirts in a encircling maneuver. In his nightly speech on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the fighting in Pokrovsk and “successes in the destruction of the occupiers.”

Ukrainian President Announces Strengthened Air Defense Network

The president, who has been urging his allies for more air defences to counter Moscow's attacks, announced on this past Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air-defence network with Berlin's support. “We've strengthened the U.S.-made Patriot element of our national air defence,” he declared, referring to the sophisticated U.S.-made defense systems. Without providing additional information, the Ukraine's president singled out Berlin and its leader, Friedrich Merz, for thanks.

Russian Strikes Kill Civilians, Disrupt Electricity

Russian drones and rockets fired at Ukrainian territory killed no fewer than six people, including two children, and cut power to tens of thousands of residents, authorities reported on Sunday. Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the representatives of Ukraine’s prosecutor general. The children were male minors of ages eleven and fourteen, stated Ukraine’s human rights commissioner. Russia’s attacks disrupted power to the whole eastern Donetsk region as well as nearly 58 thousand households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders announced. Ukraine’s Vostok military unit said some of its personnel were killed in one of the Russian attacks on Dnipropetrovsk.