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Ex-President Trump stated on Sunday that he was not seriously considering providing Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles. After being asked by a reporter aboard Air Force One, he answered, “No, not at the moment.” Recent reports had indicated the Pentagon informed the White House that U.S. stockpiles of Tomahawks were sufficient to allow this transfer.

Ukraine's Defense Efforts Persist Without Missile Shortage

Although Ukrainian forces has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to execute far-reaching strikes against Russia, it has still succeeded to conduct a successful operation using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles against Moscow's military and strategic targets, including fuel storage facilities and processing plants. On Sunday, a Ukrainian airstrike targeted the port facility on the Black Sea, igniting a fire and damaging two ships, according to Moscow officials. Nearby airfields in the region also had to be closed.

Turkish Oil Plants Shift to Non-Russian Crude Supplies

Turkey's largest oil refineries are boosting purchases of non-Russian crude in reaction to the latest western sanctions on Moscow, according to market insiders. Turkey is a significant purchaser of Russian crude, together with Beijing and India, but refiners are following India's lead in cutting back imports.

SOCAR Turkey Refinery Expands Oil Sources

One of the largest Turkey's refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), operated by Azerbaijani company SOCAR, has recently purchased four cargoes of crude from Iraqi, Kazakhstan, and additional non-Russian producers for December delivery, according to insiders. This represent roughly tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of alternative crude, depending on shipment volume. By comparison, oil from Russia made up virtually all of the STAR refinery's supply in recent months, amounting to about 210,000 bpd, according to market information. SOCAR declined to comment.

Tupras Likewise Increasing Non-Russian Purchases

Another major Turkish oil processor – Tupras refinery – was additionally increasing acquisitions of alternative grades of crude, according to multiple insiders. The company was furthermore expected to in the near future entirely phase out imports from Russia at a key facility of its two main Turkish refineries to maintain fuel shipments to Europe without breaching the European Union's upcoming sanctions. Tupras declined to comment to a request for comment.

Ukraine Deploys Special Forces to Eastern City

Kyiv has sent special forces to the heavily contested east city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to push back an fierce Russian offensive involving a large number of troops, according to Ukraine's top military leader. The city, dubbed “the entrance to Donetsk,” lies on a key supply route for the Ukrainian army and has been under Moscow’s sights for more than a year as Moscow pushes to control the whole east Donetsk region.

Latest Developments in Pokrovsk

At least 200 Russian troops had penetrated the city's defences, Kyiv reported recently, while military experts assessed that additional forces were closing in on its outskirts in a encircling movement. In his evening speech on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the fighting in Pokrovsk and “successes in the destruction of the occupiers.”

Zelenskyy Reveals Strengthened Air Defence System

Zelenskyy, who has been urging his allies for additional air defense systems to hold off Moscow's strikes, announced on Sunday that Ukraine had strengthened its air-defence network with Germany’s support. “We have strengthened the U.S.-made Patriot component of our national air defence,” Zelenskyy declared, mentioning the sophisticated American air-defence systems. Without providing further information, the Ukrainian leader specifically thanked Germany and its chancellor, the German chancellor, for thanks.

Russian Strikes Claim Civilians, Disrupt Electricity

Russian drones and missiles targeting Ukraine took the lives of at least six individuals, including two children, and cut power to tens of thousands of households, officials reported on this past Sunday. Russian forces struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, according to the representatives of the country's chief prosecutor. The children were male minors of ages 11 and fourteen, said the nation's human rights commissioner. Russia’s attacks cut power to the entire east Donetsk region as well as almost 58,000 homes in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders announced. Ukraine’s Eastern military unit said some of its members were killed in a particular of the enemy attacks on the region.