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FormerPresident Trump remarked on Sunday that he is not actively contemplating supplying Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk missiles. In response to a query by a journalist on his plane, he answered, “No, not at the moment.” Recent reports had claimed the U.S. Department of Defense told the White House that U.S. stockpiles of Tomahawks were adequate to allow such a transfer.

Ukraine's Military Efforts Persist Without Missile Shortage

While Ukrainian forces has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to execute long-range attacks against Russian targets, it has nonetheless managed to wage a successful operation using its own unmanned aerial vehicles and rockets against Moscow's armed and strategic objectives, such as fuel storage facilities and refineries. This past Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack struck the port facility on the coast, igniting a blaze and damaging two ships, according to Moscow authorities. Nearby airfields in the area also had to be shut down.

Turkey Oil Plants Shift to Alternative Crude Supplies

Ankara's largest oil refining facilities are increasing purchases of alternative crude in reaction to the latest international sanctions on Moscow, according to industry sources. The country is a significant purchaser of oil from Russia, along with China and India, but refiners are mirroring New Delhi's lead in reducing supplies.

SOCAR Turkey Plant Diversifies Oil Sources

One of the largest Turkey's refineries, the STAR refinery, owned by Azeri company SOCAR, has recently acquired multiple shipments of crude from Iraq, Kazakh, and other alternative suppliers for year-end delivery, as per sources. This amount to approximately tens of thousands of barrels daily of non-Russian supply, depending on shipment volume. By comparison, oil from Russia accounted for nearly the entirety of the STAR refinery's supply in recent months, totaling approximately 210 thousand barrels per day, based on trade data. SOCAR refused to comment.

Tupras Also Boosting Non-Russian Purchases

The other leading Turkish refiner – Tupras – was additionally raising purchases of alternative grades of crude, as stated by two sources. The company was also expected to in the near future entirely phase out imports from Russia at one of its primary major domestic refineries to maintain petroleum exports to the EU without breaching the EU’s incoming sanctions. Tupras declined to comment to a inquiry for a statement.

Ukraine Deploys Elite Units to Eastern City

Ukraine has deployed special forces to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an intense Moscow's offensive comprising a large number of soldiers, according to Ukraine's senior commander. Pokrovsk, dubbed “the entrance to Donetsk,” lies on a key logistical line for the Ukrainian army and has been in Russia's crosshairs for more than a year as Russia pushes to seize the entire eastern Donetsk region.

Recent Updates in Pokrovsk

No fewer than two hundred Russian soldiers had penetrated the city's defences, Kyiv said recently, while analysts assessed that additional forces were advancing on its outskirts in a encircling movement. In his nightly address on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the combat in Pokrovsk and “successes in the destruction of the invading forces.”

Ukrainian President Announces Strengthened Air Defence System

The president, who has been urging his partners for additional air defences to hold off Russia’s attacks, announced on Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air defense capabilities with Berlin's assistance. “We've strengthened the U.S.-made Patriot component of our national air defense,” Zelenskyy declared, referring to the sophisticated U.S.-made air-defence systems. Without offering additional information, the Ukraine's leader singled out Berlin and its leader, Friedrich Merz, for gratitude.

Russian Strikes Claim Civilians, Disrupt Electricity

Russian drones and rockets fired at Ukraine killed at least 6 individuals, among them two children, and cut power to tens of thousands of households, officials said on this past Sunday. Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, according to the office of the country's chief prosecutor. The victims were two boys of ages 11 and 14, said the nation's human rights commissioner. Russia’s strikes disrupted electricity to the entire eastern Donetsk area as well as nearly 58,000 homes in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their governors said. Ukraine’s Vostok military unit said some of its members were killed in a particular of the enemy strikes on Dnipropetrovsk.