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FormerPresident Trump remarked on Sunday that he is not really considering sending Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. When questioned by a journalist aboard his plane, he responded, “No, not at the moment.” Earlier reports had suggested the Pentagon told the administration that U.S. stockpiles of Tomahawks were sufficient to enable this transfer.

Ukrainian Defense Actions Continue Without Missile Shortage

While Ukraine has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to execute long-range attacks against Russian targets, it has still managed to conduct a effective operation using its own unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles against Moscow's armed and strategic targets, such as fuel storage facilities and processing plants. This past Sunday, a Kyiv's airstrike targeted the Tuapse oil port on the Black Sea, igniting a fire and damaging two ships, according to Russian officials. Adjacent Russian airports in the area also had to be shut down.

Turkish Refineries Turn to Alternative Oil Sources

Ankara's biggest oil refineries are increasing procurement of non-Russian crude in reaction to the recent western sanctions on Moscow, according to market insiders. Turkey is a major purchaser of oil from Russia, along with China and New Delhi, but processing companies are mirroring New Delhi's lead in reducing imports.

STAR Refinery Expands Oil Sources

A major Turkish refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), operated by Azerbaijani firm SOCAR, has recently purchased four cargoes of crude from Iraq, Kazakhstan, and additional non-Russian producers for December arrival, according to sources. These purchases amount to approximately tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of alternative crude, depending on cargo size. By comparison, oil from Russia accounted for nearly the entirety of the plant's crude intake in October and September, totaling about 210,000 barrels per day, based on trade data. SOCAR refused to provide a statement.

Another Major Refiner Likewise Increasing Alternative Purchases

The other leading Turkish refiner – Tupras – was also raising purchases of non-Russian grades of crude, according to multiple insiders. Tupras was furthermore expected to soon completely phase out imports from Russia at a key facility of its two main domestic refineries to maintain petroleum exports to the EU without breaching the EU’s upcoming restrictions. Tupras declined to comment to a inquiry for comment.

Ukraine Sends Elite Units to Pokrovsk

Kyiv has sent special forces to the embattled east city of Pokrovsk in an effort to repel an fierce Moscow's offensive comprising a large number of soldiers, as stated by Kyiv’s senior military leader. The city, dubbed “the entrance to Donetsk,” lies on a key logistical route for the Kyiv's military and has been under Russia's sights for more than a year as Russia aims to control the whole eastern Donetsk region.

Recent Updates in the City

No fewer than two hundred Moscow's soldiers had penetrated the city's defences, Ukrainian officials said recently, while military experts concluded that additional forces were advancing on its outskirts in a encircling maneuver. In his nightly speech on Sunday, the Ukrainian president mentioned the fighting in Pokrovsk and “results in the elimination of the invading forces.”

Ukrainian President Reveals Enhanced Air Defense Network

Zelenskyy, who has been pushing his allies for additional air defences to counter Russia’s attacks, announced on Sunday that Ukraine had strengthened its air-defence network with Germany’s assistance. “We have strengthened the U.S.-made Patriot component of our national air defence,” he said, mentioning the sophisticated American defense systems. Not providing further information, the Ukrainian leader singled out Berlin and its leader, Friedrich Merz, for thanks.

Moscow's Strikes Kill Civilians, Disrupt Power

Russian unmanned aircraft and rockets fired at Ukraine killed no fewer than six individuals, among them 2 children, and disrupted power to thousands of residents, officials reported on this past Sunday. Russian forces struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, said the representatives of Ukraine’s chief prosecutor. The children were male minors of ages 11 and fourteen, said the nation's human rights commissioner. The attacks disrupted power to the whole east Donetsk area as well as almost 58 thousand homes in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their governors said. Ukraine’s Vostok army group confirmed some of its members were killed in a particular of the Russian strikes on the region.