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FormerPresident Donald Trump remarked on Sunday that he is not seriously contemplating supplying Ukraine with advanced Tomahawk cruise missiles. After being asked by a journalist on Air Force One, he replied, “No, not at the moment.” Earlier accounts had claimed the U.S. Department of Defense told the administration that American inventories of Tomahawks were sufficient to enable this transfer.

Ukraine's Defense Efforts Persist Without Missile Lack

Although Ukraine has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to conduct long-range attacks against Russia, it has still managed to wage a successful operation using its domestically-produced drones and missiles against Russian military and key targets, such as fuel storage facilities and refineries. On Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack targeted the port facility on the Black Sea, causing a fire and damaging two vessels, according to Russian officials. Adjacent airfields in the area also had to be closed.

Turkish Oil Plants Shift to Non-Russian Oil Supplies

Turkey's biggest oil refining facilities are boosting purchases of non-Russian crude in response to the recent international sanctions on Russia, according to industry sources. Turkey is a significant purchaser of Russian crude, together with Beijing and New Delhi, but processing companies are following India's lead in cutting back imports.

STAR Refinery Expands Oil Procurement

A major Turkish refining plants, the STAR refinery, owned by Azerbaijani company SOCAR, has recently purchased multiple shipments of crude from Iraqi, Kazakhstan, and additional non-Russian suppliers for December arrival, according to 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 all of the STAR refinery's supply in recent months, amounting to about 210 thousand bpd, based on market information. SOCAR declined to comment.

Another Major Refiner Also Increasing Alternative Purchases

Another leading Turkey's refiner – Tupras refinery – was additionally increasing purchases of non-Russian types of crude, according to multiple sources. The company was also expected to in the near future entirely eliminate imports from Russia at a key facility of its primary main domestic plants to continue fuel exports to the EU without violating the European Union's incoming restrictions. The refiner declined to comment to a request for a statement.

Ukraine Deploys Elite Units to Pokrovsk

Kyiv has sent special forces to the embattled east city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an fierce Russian assault involving thousands of troops, as stated by Ukraine's top commander. The city, called “the entrance to Donetsk,” lies on a major logistical route for the Ukrainian army and has been under Moscow’s crosshairs for over a twelve months as Moscow aims to control the whole east Donetsk area.

Latest Developments in Pokrovsk

No fewer than two hundred Moscow's soldiers had breached the city's defences, Ukrainian officials said recently, while analysts assessed that additional forces were closing in on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped maneuver. In his nightly speech on this past Sunday, the Ukrainian president mentioned the fighting in the city and “successes in the destruction of the occupiers.”

Ukrainian President Announces Enhanced Air Defense Network

Zelenskyy, who has been urging his partners for additional air defences to hold off Russia’s strikes, announced on Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air defense network with Berlin's support. “We've boosted the Patriot element of our Ukrainian air defence,” Zelenskyy declared, mentioning the sophisticated U.S.-made defense systems. Not offering additional details, the Ukraine's leader singled out Germany and its leader, the German chancellor, for gratitude.

Moscow's Strikes Claim Innocents, Disrupt Power

Russian unmanned aircraft and missiles fired at Ukraine killed no fewer than 6 individuals, including two children, and disrupted power to tens of thousands of residents, officials said on Sunday. Russian forces struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, according to the office of the country's chief prosecutor. The children were male minors of ages 11 and 14, said Ukraine’s ombudsman. The strikes disrupted electricity to the whole eastern Donetsk area as well as nearly 58,000 homes in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders announced. Ukraine’s Vostok military unit said a number of its personnel were killed in one of the enemy attacks on the region.