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Ex-President Trump indicated this past Sunday that he is not actively considering supplying Ukrainian forces with advanced Tomahawk cruise missiles. When questioned by a reporter on his plane, he responded, “No, not really.” Recent reports had suggested the U.S. Department of Defense informed the administration that U.S. stockpiles of Tomahawks were adequate to enable this delivery.

Ukrainian Military Actions Continue Without Missile Lack

While Ukraine has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to carry out long-range attacks against Russia, it has still succeeded to wage a successful campaign using its own drones and rockets against Russian military and key targets, such as oil depots and refineries. This past Sunday, a Kyiv's airstrike targeted the port facility on the Black Sea, causing a blaze and harming two vessels, according to Russian authorities. Adjacent Russian airports in the region also had to be shut down.

Turkey Refineries Shift to Alternative Oil Supplies

Turkey's biggest oil refining facilities are increasing procurement of non-Russian crude in reaction to the latest western restrictions on Russia, as reported by market sources. The country is a significant purchaser of oil from Russia, together with China and New Delhi, but refiners are mirroring New Delhi's lead in cutting back imports.

SOCAR Turkey Plant Expands Oil Sources

A major Turkish refining plants, the STAR refinery, operated by Azerbaijani company SOCAR, has lately purchased multiple cargoes of crude from Iraqi, Kazakh, and other 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 crude, varying by cargo size. In contrast, oil from Russia accounted for virtually all of the STAR refinery's crude intake in recent months, amounting to approximately 210,000 bpd, according to market data. SOCAR declined to provide a statement.

Another Major Refiner Likewise Increasing Non-Russian Purchases

Another leading Turkey's refiner – Tupras – was additionally raising acquisitions of non-Russian types of crude, as stated by multiple sources. Tupras was also likely to soon entirely phase out imports from Russia at a key facility of its primary major Turkish refineries to continue fuel shipments to Europe without breaching the EU’s upcoming restrictions. The refiner did not respond to a request for a statement.

Ukraine Deploys Special Forces to Pokrovsk

Kyiv has deployed elite troops to the heavily contested east city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an intense Moscow's assault involving a large number of soldiers, according to Ukraine's top military leader. The city, called “the gateway to Donetsk,” lies on a major supply line for the Ukrainian army and has been under Moscow’s crosshairs for over a twelve months as Russia pushes to control the entire east Donetsk area.

Recent Updates in Pokrovsk

No fewer than two hundred Russian soldiers had penetrated the city's defences, Kyiv reported last week, while analysts concluded that additional forces were closing in on its outskirts in a encircling maneuver. In his evening address on this past Sunday, the Ukrainian president mentioned the fighting in Pokrovsk and “successes in the destruction of the invading forces.”

Zelenskyy Announces Enhanced Air Defence System

The president, who has been urging his partners for more air defences to hold off Russia’s attacks, stated on Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air-defence network with Berlin's assistance. “We've boosted the Patriot component of our Ukrainian air defense,” he declared, referring to the advanced U.S.-made air-defence systems. Without providing additional information, the Ukraine's president specifically thanked Berlin and its leader, Friedrich Merz, for gratitude.

Moscow's Attacks Claim Innocents, Cut Power

Russian drones and missiles fired at Ukrainian territory killed at least 6 people, among them two children, and disrupted power to thousands of households, officials said on this past Sunday. Moscow's military attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, according to the representatives of the country's chief prosecutor. The children were male minors of ages eleven and 14, stated the nation's ombudsman. Russia’s strikes disrupted electricity to the entire eastern Donetsk area as well as nearly 58,000 homes in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders announced. The Eastern army group confirmed some of its personnel were killed in a particular of the enemy attacks on Dnipropetrovsk.