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Ex-President Trump stated on Sunday that he was not actively planning providing Ukraine with advanced Tomahawk missiles. When questioned by a journalist on his plane, he responded, “No, not really.” Recent reports had indicated the Pentagon informed the administration that American stockpiles of Tomahawks were adequate to allow this delivery.

Ukraine's Military Efforts Continue Without Weapon Shortage

While Ukrainian forces has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to carry out long-range strikes against Russian targets, it has still managed to conduct a successful operation using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and rockets against Russian armed and strategic objectives, including fuel storage facilities and processing plants. On Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack struck the port facility on the coast, igniting a fire and harming two vessels, as stated by Russian authorities. Nearby Russian airports in the region also had to be shut down.

Turkish Oil Plants Turn to Non-Russian Crude Supplies

Ankara's largest oil refineries are increasing purchases of non-Russian crude in response to the latest western restrictions on Moscow, according to market insiders. The country is a major buyer of oil from Russia, along with Beijing and India, but processing companies are mirroring New Delhi's example in cutting back supplies.

STAR Plant Diversifies Crude Procurement

A major Turkey's refining plants, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), operated by Azerbaijani firm SOCAR, has lately acquired multiple cargoes of crude from Iraqi, Kazakhstan, and other non-Russian suppliers for December arrival, as per insiders. This amount to approximately tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian crude, varying by cargo size. By comparison, oil from Russia made up virtually the entirety of the plant's crude intake in recent months, totaling about 210,000 bpd, based on market data. SOCAR declined to provide a statement.

Tupras Likewise Boosting Non-Russian Buys

Another major Turkish refiner – Tupras – was also raising acquisitions of alternative grades of crude, as stated by two insiders. Tupras was also likely to in the near future completely phase out Russian crude at one of its two main Turkish refineries to maintain fuel shipments to the EU without violating the EU’s upcoming restrictions. The refiner declined to comment to a inquiry for a statement.

Ukrainian Deploys Special Forces to Pokrovsk

Kyiv has sent special forces to the heavily contested eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an intense Russian assault comprising a large number of troops, according to Kyiv’s top commander. Pokrovsk, called “the entrance to Donetsk,” is located on a key logistical line for the Kyiv's military and has been in Russia's sights for over a year as Russia pushes to seize the whole east Donetsk region.

Recent Updates in the City

At least two hundred Moscow's troops had penetrated Pokrovsk’s defences, Ukrainian officials said recently, while analysts assessed that others were closing in on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped maneuver. In his evening address on Sunday, the Ukrainian president mentioned the fighting in the city and “results in the destruction of the invading forces.”

Zelenskyy Reveals Strengthened Air Defense System

Zelenskyy, who has been pushing his partners for additional air defences to counter Russia’s strikes, stated on this past Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air defense capabilities with Germany’s support. “We've boosted the U.S.-made Patriot component of our Ukrainian air defence,” Zelenskyy said, referring to the sophisticated American defense systems. Without offering further details, the Ukraine's leader singled out Berlin and its leader, Friedrich Merz, for thanks.

Moscow's Strikes Kill Civilians, Cut Power

Russian drones and rockets fired at Ukrainian territory killed at least six individuals, including two minors, and disrupted electricity to thousands of residents, authorities reported on Sunday. Moscow's military struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, said the office of the country's chief prosecutor. The victims were male minors aged 11 and 14, said the nation's ombudsman. Russia’s strikes cut power to the whole eastern Donetsk area as well as nearly 58 thousand households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders announced. The Eastern army group said some of its personnel were killed in one of the Russian strikes on the region.