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FormerPresident Trump stated this past Sunday that he was not really contemplating sending Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles. In response to a query by a reporter on Air Force One, he answered, “No, not really.” Recent reports had suggested the Pentagon told the White House that U.S. stockpiles of Tomahawks were adequate to allow such a delivery.

Ukrainian Defense Actions Continue Despite Missile Lack

While Ukrainian forces has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to conduct long-range attacks against Russia, it has nonetheless managed to wage a successful campaign using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles against Moscow's armed and key targets, including oil depots and refineries. On Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack targeted the port facility on the coast, causing a blaze and damaging two vessels, as stated by Moscow authorities. Nearby airfields in the area also had to be closed.

Turkish Refineries Turn to Non-Russian Crude Sources

Turkey's biggest oil refining facilities are boosting purchases of alternative crude in response to the recent western restrictions on Russia, as reported by market sources. The country is a significant buyer of Russian crude, along with China and India, but processing companies are following India's example in reducing supplies.

SOCAR Turkey Refinery Diversifies Oil Sources

A major Turkish refineries, the STAR refinery, operated by Azerbaijani company SOCAR, has lately acquired four cargoes of crude from Iraqi, Kazakhstan, and other alternative suppliers for December delivery, as per insiders. These purchases amount to approximately tens of thousands of barrels daily of non-Russian supply, depending on cargo size. In contrast, Russian crude made up virtually the entirety of the plant's supply in October and September, totaling about 210 thousand barrels per day, based on market information. SOCAR declined to comment.

Tupras Also Increasing Non-Russian Buys

Another major Turkey's oil processor – Tupras refinery – was additionally raising purchases of alternative types of crude, according to two sources. The company was furthermore likely to soon completely phase out imports from Russia at a key facility of its primary major Turkish refineries to continue fuel exports to the EU without violating the European Union's upcoming sanctions. Tupras did not respond to a request for a statement.

Ukraine Sends Special Forces to Pokrovsk

Kyiv has sent elite troops to the embattled east city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an intense Russian assault comprising a large number of soldiers, as stated by Kyiv’s top military leader. The city, called “the gateway to Donetsk,” lies on a key supply route for the Ukrainian military and has been under Moscow’s crosshairs for more than a twelve months as Moscow pushes to control the entire eastern Donetsk area.

Recent Developments in the City

At least 200 Moscow's troops had penetrated Pokrovsk’s defences, Kyiv said last week, while analysts concluded that additional forces were advancing on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped movement. In his evening address on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the fighting in Pokrovsk and “successes in the elimination of the occupiers.”

Ukrainian President Announces Enhanced Air Defense System

The president, who has been pushing his partners for additional air defense systems to counter Russia’s attacks, announced on Sunday that the country had strengthened its air defense capabilities with Germany’s support. “We have boosted the U.S.-made Patriot component of our Ukrainian air defense,” Zelenskyy declared, mentioning the sophisticated American defense systems. Without offering further information, the Ukraine's leader specifically thanked Berlin and its leader, Friedrich Merz, for thanks.

Russian Attacks Claim Innocents, Disrupt Power

Moscow's unmanned aircraft and rockets targeting Ukraine killed at least six individuals, including 2 minors, and cut electricity to tens of thousands of households, officials said on this past Sunday. Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, said the representatives of Ukraine’s prosecutor general. The victims were male minors aged eleven and fourteen, stated the nation's ombudsman. Russia’s strikes cut electricity to the entire east Donetsk region as well as nearly 58,000 homes in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their governors said. The Vostok military unit confirmed a number of its members were killed in one of the enemy strikes on Dnipropetrovsk.