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FormerPresident Donald Trump indicated this past Sunday that he was not actively considering providing Ukraine with advanced Tomahawk cruise missiles. In response to a query by a journalist on his plane, he answered, “No, not currently.” Recent accounts had suggested the U.S. Department of Defense informed the administration that American stockpiles of Tomahawks were adequate to enable such a transfer.

Ukrainian Defense Actions Persist Without Missile Shortage

While Ukraine has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to carry out far-reaching attacks against Russia, it has nonetheless succeeded to conduct a effective campaign using its domestically-produced drones and rockets against Russian military and strategic targets, including fuel storage facilities and refineries. On Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack struck the port facility on the coast, igniting a blaze and harming two vessels, according to Russian officials. Adjacent Russian airports in the region also had to be closed.

Turkish Oil Plants Shift to Alternative Crude Sources

Ankara's biggest oil refining facilities are increasing purchases of non-Russian crude in reaction to the latest western sanctions on Moscow, as reported by market insiders. The country is a major buyer of oil from Russia, together with Beijing and India, but refiners are following India's lead in reducing supplies.

STAR Plant Diversifies Crude Procurement

A major Turkey's refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), owned by Azerbaijani firm SOCAR, has recently acquired multiple cargoes of crude from Iraq, Kazakhstan, and additional non-Russian suppliers for December arrival, according to sources. These purchases amount to approximately 77,000 to 129,000 barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian crude, depending on cargo size. By comparison, oil from Russia accounted for nearly the entirety of the STAR refinery's supply in recent months, amounting to approximately 210,000 bpd, according to trade information. SOCAR refused to comment.

Tupras Also Boosting Alternative Buys

The other major Turkey's oil processor – Tupras refinery – was also increasing acquisitions of non-Russian grades of crude, according to multiple sources. Tupras was furthermore likely to in the near future completely eliminate Russian crude at a key facility of its primary major Turkish plants to maintain fuel exports to Europe without violating the European Union's incoming sanctions. The refiner did not respond to a request for comment.

Ukrainian Deploys Elite Units to Pokrovsk

Ukraine has deployed elite troops to the heavily contested east city of Pokrovsk in an effort to repel an fierce Russian assault involving a large number of soldiers, according to Kyiv’s senior military leader. The city, called “the entrance to Donetsk,” lies on a major supply route for the Ukrainian military and has been in Moscow’s sights for more than a twelve months as Moscow aims to seize the whole eastern Donetsk area.

Recent Updates in the City

At least two hundred Moscow's soldiers had penetrated the city's defences, Ukrainian officials reported recently, while analysts concluded that additional forces were closing in on its perimeter in a encircling maneuver. In his nightly speech on this past Sunday, the Ukrainian president spoke of the combat in Pokrovsk and “results in the elimination of the invading forces.”

Zelenskyy Announces Enhanced Air Defence Network

The president, who has been urging his allies for more air defences to hold off Moscow's strikes, stated on Sunday that the country had reinforced its air defense capabilities with Berlin's assistance. “We've strengthened the U.S.-made Patriot element of our national air defence,” he said, referring to the sophisticated U.S.-made air-defence systems. Without providing additional information, the Ukrainian leader singled out Germany and its leader, Friedrich Merz, for gratitude.

Russian Strikes Claim Innocents, Cut Electricity

Moscow's unmanned aircraft and rockets targeting Ukraine killed at least 6 people, among them 2 children, and cut electricity to tens of thousands of households, officials said on Sunday. Russian forces struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, according to the office of the country's prosecutor general. The children were male minors aged eleven and fourteen, said the nation's ombudsman. Russia’s attacks disrupted electricity to the entire east Donetsk area as well as almost 58,000 households in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. The Vostok military unit said some of its personnel were killed in one of the Russian attacks on the region.