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Ex-President Trump stated this past Sunday that he was not actively considering providing Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles. When questioned by a journalist aboard his plane, he responded, “No, not at the moment.” Earlier reports had claimed the U.S. Department of Defense told the White House that U.S. inventories of Tomahawks were adequate to allow such a transfer.

Ukrainian Military Actions Continue Without Missile Lack

Although Ukrainian forces has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to carry out far-reaching attacks against Russia, it has still succeeded to wage a successful operation using its own drones and rockets against Russian military and key objectives, such as fuel storage facilities and refineries. On Sunday, a Kyiv's airstrike struck the Tuapse oil port on the coast, igniting a fire and damaging two ships, according to Moscow officials. Adjacent airfields in the region also had to be shut down.

Turkey Oil Plants Shift to Alternative Crude Sources

Ankara's largest oil refining facilities are boosting purchases of alternative crude in response to the latest international restrictions on Russia, as reported by market sources. Turkey is a major purchaser of Russian crude, along with Beijing and New Delhi, but processing companies are mirroring India's lead in cutting back imports.

STAR Plant Diversifies Oil Procurement

One of the largest Turkish refining plants, the STAR refinery, owned by Azeri company SOCAR, has recently acquired four shipments of crude from Iraqi, Kazakh, and other non-Russian suppliers for year-end arrival, as per sources. These purchases amount to approximately tens of thousands of barrels daily of non-Russian crude, varying by shipment volume. By comparison, Russian crude accounted for nearly the entirety of the STAR refinery's supply in recent months, amounting to about 210 thousand bpd, based on trade information. SOCAR refused to comment.

Another Major Refiner Also Boosting Alternative Purchases

Another leading Turkey's refiner – Tupras refinery – was also increasing purchases of alternative types of crude, according to two sources. Tupras was furthermore likely to soon entirely phase out Russian crude at a key facility of its two main Turkish refineries to maintain petroleum shipments to Europe without violating the European Union's upcoming restrictions. Tupras declined to comment to a inquiry for a statement.

Ukrainian Sends Special Forces to Eastern City

Ukraine has deployed elite troops to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an fierce Russian offensive involving a large number of troops, according to Ukraine's top commander. Pokrovsk, called “the gateway to Donetsk,” is located on a major logistical route for the Ukrainian military and has been under Moscow’s sights for over a year as Moscow aims to seize the whole eastern Donetsk area.

Recent Developments in the City

No fewer than two hundred Russian troops had penetrated the city's defensive lines, Ukrainian officials reported recently, while military experts concluded that others were closing in on its outskirts in a encircling movement. In his evening speech on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the fighting in Pokrovsk and “successes in the elimination of the occupiers.”

Zelenskyy Announces Strengthened Air Defense Network

The president, who has been pushing his partners for additional air defences to hold off Moscow's attacks, announced on Sunday that the country had reinforced its air-defence capabilities with Germany’s support. “We have strengthened the Patriot component of our Ukrainian air defence,” Zelenskyy declared, referring to the advanced U.S.-made defense systems. Without providing further details, the Ukrainian president singled out Berlin and its leader, the German chancellor, for gratitude.

Russian Strikes Claim Civilians, Cut Power

Moscow's drones and missiles fired at Ukraine took the lives of no fewer than 6 individuals, among them two minors, and disrupted electricity to thousands of households, authorities said on this past Sunday. Moscow's military struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, according to the representatives of Ukraine’s chief prosecutor. The children were two boys of ages eleven and fourteen, said the nation's ombudsman. The strikes cut electricity to the whole east Donetsk area as well as almost 58 thousand households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders announced. Ukraine’s Eastern army group said some of its members were killed in a particular of the enemy strikes on the region.