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Ex-President Trump indicated on Sunday that he is not really considering providing Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles. After being asked by a reporter aboard Air Force One, he answered, “No, not really.” Recent accounts had claimed the U.S. Department of Defense told the administration that U.S. stockpiles of Tomahawks were ample to enable this transfer.

Ukraine's Defense Efforts Continue Despite Weapon Shortage

While Ukraine has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to conduct long-range strikes against Russian targets, it has nonetheless succeeded to wage a effective operation using its own unmanned aerial vehicles and rockets against Moscow's armed and key objectives, such as oil depots and refineries. On Sunday, a Kyiv's drone attack targeted the Tuapse oil port on the Black Sea, igniting a blaze and damaging two vessels, as stated by Russian authorities. Nearby airfields in the region also had to be closed.

Turkey Refineries Shift to Alternative Crude Supplies

Turkey's biggest oil refineries are increasing procurement of non-Russian crude in response to the recent western sanctions on Moscow, as reported by industry insiders. The country is a significant buyer of oil from Russia, together with China and India, but refiners are following India's example in reducing supplies.

STAR Plant Diversifies Crude Sources

A major Turkish refining plants, the STAR refinery, owned by Azeri firm SOCAR, has recently acquired multiple cargoes of crude from Iraq, Kazakh, and additional non-Russian producers for December arrival, as per insiders. These purchases represent roughly tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of alternative crude, depending on cargo size. In contrast, oil from Russia accounted for virtually all of the STAR refinery's supply in recent months, amounting to about 210 thousand bpd, according to market data. SOCAR declined to comment.

Tupras Also Increasing Alternative Buys

The other leading Turkey's oil processor – Tupras – was also increasing acquisitions of alternative types of crude, as stated by multiple insiders. Tupras was furthermore expected to soon completely eliminate Russian crude at one of its primary major Turkish plants to maintain petroleum shipments to the EU without breaching the EU’s incoming sanctions. The refiner did not respond to a inquiry for a statement.

Ukrainian Sends Elite Units to Eastern City

Kyiv has sent elite troops to the heavily contested east city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to repel an intense Moscow's offensive comprising a large number of soldiers, as stated by Ukraine's top military leader. Pokrovsk, dubbed “the gateway to Donetsk,” lies on a major logistical route for the Ukrainian military and has been under Moscow’s crosshairs for over a year as Russia aims to seize the whole eastern Donetsk area.

Recent Developments in Pokrovsk

At least 200 Moscow's soldiers had penetrated the city's defences, Kyiv said recently, while analysts assessed that others were closing in on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped maneuver. In his nightly speech on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the fighting in the city and “successes in the destruction of the invading forces.”

Zelenskyy Reveals Enhanced Air Defence Network

Zelenskyy, who has been urging his partners for additional air defences to hold off Moscow's strikes, stated on this past Sunday that Ukraine had strengthened its air defense capabilities with Germany’s support. “We've strengthened the U.S.-made Patriot component of our national air defence,” he said, mentioning the advanced American defense systems. Without offering additional information, the Ukraine's leader specifically thanked Berlin and its chancellor, the German chancellor, for gratitude.

Moscow's Strikes Kill Innocents, Disrupt Electricity

Russian unmanned aircraft and rockets fired at Ukrainian territory took the lives of at least six people, including 2 children, and cut electricity to tens of thousands of residents, officials said on this past Sunday. Russian forces struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the office of Ukraine’s chief prosecutor. The children were male minors aged eleven and 14, said the nation's human rights commissioner. Russia’s strikes disrupted electricity to the whole east Donetsk region as well as almost 58 thousand households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. Ukraine’s Vostok military unit confirmed a number of its personnel were killed in a particular of the Russian attacks on Dnipropetrovsk.