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Ex-President Trump indicated on Sunday that he was not actively planning supplying Ukrainian forces with advanced Tomahawk missiles. When questioned by a journalist on Air Force One, he responded, “No, not at the moment.” Recent reports had suggested the U.S. Department of Defense told the White House that U.S. inventories of Tomahawks were ample to allow this transfer.

Ukraine's Defense Actions Continue Without Weapon Lack

Although Ukraine has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to conduct far-reaching attacks against Russian targets, it has still succeeded to conduct a successful operation using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles against Russian military and strategic targets, such as oil depots and processing plants. This past Sunday, a Kyiv's airstrike hit the port facility on the coast, igniting a blaze and damaging two ships, as stated by Moscow authorities. Adjacent Russian airports in the area also had to be shut down.

Turkish Refineries Shift to Non-Russian Crude Supplies

Ankara's largest oil refining facilities are increasing purchases of alternative crude in response to the latest international sanctions on Moscow, according to market insiders. The country is a major buyer of oil from Russia, together with Beijing and New Delhi, but refiners are following New Delhi's example in cutting back supplies.

STAR Plant Expands Oil Sources

One of the largest Turkey's refineries, the STAR refinery, owned by Azeri firm SOCAR, has lately acquired four shipments of crude from Iraq, Kazakhstan, and additional non-Russian suppliers for year-end delivery, as per sources. This represent roughly tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian supply, depending on cargo size. In contrast, Russian crude made up virtually all of the plant's crude intake in recent months, amounting to about 210 thousand bpd, based on market information. SOCAR refused to comment.

Another Major Refiner Also Boosting Alternative Buys

The other major Turkish oil processor – Tupras refinery – was additionally raising acquisitions of alternative types of crude, according to multiple insiders. The company was furthermore expected to soon entirely phase out imports from Russia at one of its two main Turkish refineries to continue petroleum shipments to Europe without breaching the EU’s upcoming restrictions. The refiner did not respond to a request for a statement.

Ukrainian Sends Elite Units to Pokrovsk

Kyiv has sent special forces to the embattled east city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an intense Russian offensive involving a large number of soldiers, as stated by Kyiv’s senior commander. The city, dubbed “the gateway to Donetsk,” is located on a major logistical line for the Ukrainian army and has been under Russia's crosshairs for over a twelve months as Moscow pushes to seize the whole east Donetsk area.

Latest Developments in Pokrovsk

At least two hundred Russian troops had breached Pokrovsk’s defensive lines, Kyiv said last week, while analysts concluded that additional forces were closing in on its outskirts in a encircling movement. In his nightly speech on Sunday, the Ukrainian president mentioned the fighting in Pokrovsk and “successes in the elimination of the occupiers.”

Zelenskyy Announces Strengthened Air Defence System

The president, who has been pushing his partners for additional air defense systems to hold off Moscow's strikes, announced on this past Sunday that the country had reinforced its air-defence network with Germany’s assistance. “We've strengthened the U.S.-made Patriot component of our Ukrainian air defence,” he said, mentioning the advanced U.S.-made air-defence systems. Not providing further details, the Ukrainian president specifically thanked Berlin and its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, for thanks.

Russian Attacks Kill Innocents, Disrupt Power

Russian drones and missiles targeting Ukrainian territory killed no fewer than 6 people, including 2 children, and cut electricity to thousands of households, officials reported on Sunday. Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the representatives of the country's prosecutor general. The victims were male minors aged 11 and fourteen, stated the nation's ombudsman. The strikes cut electricity to the entire eastern Donetsk area as well as almost 58 thousand households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders announced. The Vostok army group said a number of its personnel were killed in one of the Russian attacks on the region.