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FormerPresident Donald Trump stated on Sunday that he was not actively contemplating providing Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk missiles. After being asked by a reporter aboard Air Force One, he replied, “No, not at the moment.” Recent reports had suggested the Pentagon informed the administration that American stockpiles of Tomahawks were sufficient to enable this transfer.

Ukrainian Defense Actions Persist Despite Weapon Lack

Although Ukrainian forces has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to conduct long-range attacks against Russia, it has still succeeded to conduct a effective operation using its own drones and rockets against Moscow's armed and key objectives, including oil depots and processing plants. On Sunday, a Kyiv's drone attack hit the Tuapse oil port on the Black Sea, igniting a fire and harming two ships, as stated by Moscow authorities. Adjacent airfields in the area also had to be closed.

Turkey Refineries Turn to Non-Russian Crude Supplies

Turkey's biggest oil refining facilities are increasing procurement of non-Russian crude in reaction to the recent western restrictions on Moscow, according to market insiders. Turkey is a major buyer of Russian crude, together with Beijing and New Delhi, but refiners are following New Delhi's lead in reducing supplies.

STAR Plant Expands Crude Procurement

A major Turkey's refining plants, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), operated by Azeri company SOCAR, has recently purchased multiple shipments of crude from Iraq, Kazakh, and other alternative suppliers for year-end delivery, according to insiders. This represent approximately tens of thousands of barrels daily of alternative supply, varying by cargo size. By comparison, oil from Russia accounted for virtually all of the plant's crude intake in October and September, totaling approximately 210 thousand bpd, according to trade data. SOCAR refused to provide a statement.

Another Major Refiner Also Boosting Non-Russian Buys

The other leading Turkish refiner – Tupras – was additionally increasing acquisitions of alternative grades of crude, as stated by two insiders. Tupras was also expected to in the near future entirely eliminate Russian crude at a key facility of its primary main domestic plants to maintain fuel exports to the EU without breaching the EU’s incoming sanctions. Tupras declined to comment to a request for comment.

Ukraine Sends Special Forces to Pokrovsk

Kyiv has sent elite troops to the heavily contested east city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an intense Moscow's assault comprising thousands of troops, as stated by Ukraine's senior military leader. 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 year as Russia pushes to control the entire east Donetsk area.

Latest Updates in Pokrovsk

No fewer than two hundred Moscow's soldiers had penetrated Pokrovsk’s defences, Kyiv reported last week, while military experts assessed that additional forces were advancing on its outskirts in a encircling movement. In his nightly address on Sunday, the Ukrainian president spoke of the combat in the city and “successes in the destruction of the invading forces.”

Zelenskyy Announces Enhanced Air Defence System

The president, who has been pushing his allies for additional air defences to hold off Moscow's strikes, stated on Sunday that the country had strengthened its air defense capabilities with Berlin's assistance. “We have boosted the U.S.-made Patriot component of our national air defense,” Zelenskyy said, referring to the sophisticated American defense systems. Not providing further details, the Ukraine's president specifically thanked Berlin and its leader, Friedrich Merz, for thanks.

Moscow's Strikes Kill Civilians, Cut Electricity

Russian unmanned aircraft and rockets targeting Ukraine killed no fewer than 6 people, including two children, and cut electricity to tens of thousands of households, officials reported on Sunday. Moscow's military struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, according to the representatives of Ukraine’s prosecutor general. The children were male minors of ages eleven and 14, stated the nation's human rights commissioner. Russia’s attacks disrupted electricity to the whole east Donetsk area as well as almost 58 thousand homes in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their governors announced. The Vostok military unit confirmed a number of its personnel were killed in a particular of the Russian strikes on Dnipropetrovsk.