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FormerPresident Trump stated on Sunday that he is not seriously considering supplying Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. In response to a query by a reporter aboard Air Force One, he replied, “No, not at the moment.” Earlier accounts had indicated the U.S. Department of Defense told the White House that American stockpiles of Tomahawks were adequate to enable this delivery.

Ukrainian Defense Actions Continue Without Weapon Shortage

While Ukrainian forces has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to carry out long-range strikes against Russian targets, it has nonetheless managed to wage a successful operation using its domestically-produced drones and rockets against Russian armed and strategic targets, such as oil depots and refineries. This past Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack targeted the port facility on the coast, causing a fire and harming two ships, according to Russian officials. Nearby Russian airports in the region also had to be shut down.

Turkey Oil Plants Turn to Alternative Crude Sources

Ankara's biggest oil refining facilities are increasing procurement of non-Russian crude in response to the recent international restrictions on Moscow, according to market sources. Turkey is a major buyer of oil from Russia, along with China and New Delhi, but processing companies are following New Delhi's lead in cutting back imports.

STAR Plant Diversifies Crude Procurement

One of the largest Turkey's refineries, the STAR refinery, operated by Azeri firm SOCAR, has recently purchased four shipments of crude from Iraq, Kazakhstan, and other non-Russian suppliers for year-end arrival, according to insiders. This amount to roughly tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of alternative crude, depending on cargo size. By comparison, Russian crude accounted for virtually the entirety of the STAR refinery's supply in recent months, totaling approximately 210 thousand barrels per day, according to market data. SOCAR declined to provide a statement.

Tupras Also Increasing Non-Russian Buys

Another leading Turkey's refiner – Tupras refinery – was additionally raising purchases of alternative types of crude, as stated by multiple sources. The company was furthermore expected to in the near future entirely phase out imports from Russia at a key facility of its primary main domestic refineries to maintain fuel exports to Europe without breaching the EU’s upcoming restrictions. Tupras declined to comment to a inquiry for comment.

Ukraine Deploys Special Forces to Eastern City

Ukraine has sent elite troops to the embattled east city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to push back an intense Russian offensive comprising a large number of soldiers, according to Ukraine's senior commander. Pokrovsk, called “the gateway to Donetsk,” lies on a key logistical route for the Kyiv's military and has been in Russia's crosshairs for more than a twelve months as Russia pushes to seize the whole eastern Donetsk region.

Recent Updates in Pokrovsk

No fewer than two hundred Moscow's troops had breached the city's defences, Ukrainian officials said last week, while military experts assessed that additional forces were advancing on its perimeter in a encircling maneuver. In his nightly speech on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the combat in the city and “successes in the destruction of the occupiers.”

Zelenskyy Announces Enhanced Air Defense Network

The president, who has been urging his partners for more air defense systems to counter Russia’s strikes, announced on this past Sunday that the country had strengthened its air-defence capabilities with Berlin's support. “We've strengthened the Patriot element of our Ukrainian air defence,” Zelenskyy said, mentioning the sophisticated American air-defence systems. Not providing further details, the Ukrainian leader specifically thanked Germany and its leader, the German chancellor, for gratitude.

Russian Strikes Kill Civilians, Cut Power

Moscow's drones and rockets targeting Ukraine killed at least six people, including two children, and cut electricity to thousands of households, officials reported on this past Sunday. Moscow's military attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the office of the country's prosecutor general. The victims were two boys of ages eleven and fourteen, stated the nation's human rights commissioner. Russia’s attacks cut electricity to the entire eastern Donetsk region as well as nearly 58 thousand households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their governors announced. Ukraine’s Eastern army group said some of its members were killed in a particular of the Russian strikes on the region.