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Ex-President Trump remarked on Sunday that he was not actively contemplating providing Ukrainian forces with advanced Tomahawk cruise missiles. In response to a query by a journalist aboard Air Force One, he responded, “No, not really.” Earlier accounts had indicated the U.S. Department of Defense informed the White House that U.S. inventories of Tomahawks were ample to enable this delivery.

Ukraine's Military Actions Persist Without Missile Shortage

Although Ukraine has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to conduct far-reaching attacks against Russia, it has nonetheless managed to conduct a successful campaign using its domestically-produced drones and rockets against Moscow's military and strategic objectives, such as oil depots and refineries. This past Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack hit the Tuapse oil port on the coast, causing a blaze and harming two ships, according to Russian officials. Adjacent Russian airports in the area also had to be closed.

Turkish Refineries Turn to Non-Russian Oil Sources

Ankara's largest oil refining facilities are boosting procurement of alternative crude in reaction to the latest western sanctions on Moscow, as reported by market sources. The country is a significant purchaser of oil from Russia, along with China and India, but processing companies are mirroring India's example in reducing supplies.

SOCAR Turkey Refinery Diversifies Oil Procurement

A major Turkey's refining plants, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), owned by Azerbaijani firm SOCAR, has recently purchased multiple shipments of crude from Iraq, Kazakh, and additional alternative producers for year-end arrival, as per insiders. This amount to roughly 77,000 to 129,000 barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian supply, varying by cargo size. By comparison, oil from Russia accounted for virtually the entirety of the STAR refinery's crude intake in recent months, totaling about 210,000 barrels per day, according to trade data. SOCAR refused to comment.

Tupras Also Boosting Non-Russian Purchases

Another leading Turkish refiner – Tupras refinery – was additionally raising purchases of alternative grades of crude, according to two insiders. Tupras was furthermore expected to soon completely eliminate Russian crude at one of its two major domestic plants to continue fuel shipments to Europe without breaching the EU’s upcoming sanctions. The refiner did not respond to a inquiry for comment.

Ukrainian Sends Special Forces to Pokrovsk

Ukraine has deployed special forces to the heavily contested east city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to repel an fierce Moscow's offensive comprising thousands of soldiers, according to Ukraine's top commander. The city, dubbed “the entrance to Donetsk,” is located on a major logistical line for the Kyiv's military and has been in Moscow’s crosshairs for over a year as Moscow pushes to control the whole east Donetsk area.

Latest Updates in the City

No fewer than 200 Russian troops had penetrated Pokrovsk’s defences, Kyiv reported last week, while military experts assessed that additional forces were closing in on its outskirts in a encircling movement. In his nightly address on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the fighting in the city and “results in the destruction of the occupiers.”

Ukrainian President Announces Enhanced Air Defense Network

The president, who has been pushing his partners for additional air defences to counter Moscow's strikes, stated on this past Sunday that the country had strengthened its air defense capabilities with Berlin's support. “We have strengthened the U.S.-made Patriot element of our national air defence,” he said, mentioning the sophisticated U.S.-made air-defence systems. Without providing further details, the Ukrainian leader singled out Germany and its leader, the German chancellor, for gratitude.

Moscow's Attacks Claim Civilians, Disrupt Electricity

Russian drones and rockets targeting Ukraine killed no fewer than six people, among them two children, and disrupted electricity to tens of 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 children were two boys of ages eleven and fourteen, stated Ukraine’s ombudsman. Russia’s strikes disrupted power to the entire east Donetsk region as well as almost 58,000 households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their governors said. Ukraine’s Vostok army group said some of its personnel were killed in one of the Russian attacks on the region.