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Ex-President Trump remarked this past Sunday that he is not really planning providing Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. In response to a query by a journalist on his plane, he responded, “No, not currently.” Earlier accounts had claimed the U.S. Department of Defense told the administration that American stockpiles of Tomahawks were ample to allow such a transfer.

Ukrainian Military Efforts Continue Despite Missile Lack

While Ukrainian forces has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to conduct far-reaching strikes against Russian targets, it has still managed to conduct a successful operation using its own unmanned aerial vehicles and rockets against Russian military and strategic targets, including fuel storage facilities and processing plants. On Sunday, a Kyiv's drone attack targeted the port facility on the Black Sea, igniting a fire and damaging two ships, according to Russian officials. Adjacent airfields in the area also had to be shut down.

Turkish Oil Plants Turn to Non-Russian Oil Sources

Ankara's largest oil refining facilities are increasing procurement of non-Russian crude in response to the latest international sanctions on Moscow, according to industry sources. The country is a significant buyer of Russian crude, together with China and India, but refiners are mirroring New Delhi's lead in cutting back supplies.

SOCAR Turkey Plant Diversifies Crude Procurement

One of the largest Turkey's refining plants, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), owned by Azerbaijani company SOCAR, has lately purchased four shipments of crude from Iraq, Kazakhstan, and other non-Russian producers for year-end arrival, as per insiders. These purchases represent roughly 77,000 to 129,000 barrels per day (bpd) of alternative crude, depending on cargo size. In contrast, oil from Russia accounted for virtually all of the plant's crude intake in recent months, amounting to about 210,000 barrels per day, according to trade data. SOCAR refused to comment.

Another Major Refiner Also Increasing Alternative Purchases

The other leading Turkey's oil processor – Tupras refinery – was additionally increasing acquisitions of alternative grades of crude, according to multiple sources. Tupras was furthermore expected to in the near future completely phase out imports from Russia at one of its two main domestic refineries to maintain fuel exports to Europe without breaching the EU’s incoming sanctions. Tupras did not respond to a inquiry for comment.

Ukraine Deploys Special Forces to Eastern City

Ukraine has deployed special forces to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an fierce Russian assault involving a large number of troops, as stated by Kyiv’s senior military leader. The city, called “the entrance to Donetsk,” lies on a major logistical line for the Ukrainian army and has been in Moscow’s crosshairs for more than a twelve months as Moscow aims to control the whole east Donetsk area.

Recent Developments in Pokrovsk

At least two hundred Russian troops had breached the city's defensive lines, Kyiv said last week, while analysts concluded that others were closing in on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped movement. In his evening address on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the fighting in Pokrovsk and “results in the elimination of the occupiers.”

Zelenskyy Reveals Strengthened Air Defense System

The president, who has been urging his allies for additional air defense systems to counter Russia’s attacks, stated on Sunday that the country had strengthened its air-defence network with Berlin's assistance. “We have boosted the U.S.-made Patriot component of our national air defence,” Zelenskyy said, referring to the sophisticated U.S.-made air-defence systems. Without offering further information, the Ukraine's president singled out Berlin and its leader, the German chancellor, for gratitude.

Russian Strikes Claim Innocents, Disrupt Power

Moscow's drones and rockets targeting Ukrainian territory killed at least six individuals, including two children, and cut electricity to thousands of residents, authorities reported on this past Sunday. Moscow's military struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, according to the representatives of Ukraine’s prosecutor general. The victims were two boys of ages 11 and fourteen, said the nation's ombudsman. The attacks disrupted electricity to the entire east Donetsk region as well as almost 58,000 households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their governors announced. Ukraine’s Eastern military unit said some of its members were killed in one of the enemy strikes on the region.