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FormerPresident Trump indicated this past Sunday that he is not really planning supplying Ukrainian forces with advanced Tomahawk missiles. When questioned by a reporter on Air Force One, he answered, “No, not at the moment.” Earlier reports had indicated the Pentagon told the White House that U.S. inventories of Tomahawks were sufficient to enable this transfer.

Ukraine's Defense Efforts Continue Despite Weapon Lack

Although Ukrainian forces has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to conduct far-reaching attacks against Russia, it has nonetheless succeeded to conduct a successful campaign using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles against Russian military and key targets, such as oil depots and refineries. On Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack struck the Tuapse oil port on the Black Sea, igniting a fire and damaging two vessels, according to Moscow officials. Nearby Russian airports in the region also had to be shut down.

Turkey Refineries Turn to Alternative Oil Sources

Ankara's biggest oil refining facilities are increasing purchases of non-Russian crude in reaction to the latest western sanctions on Russia, according to industry insiders. Turkey is a major purchaser of Russian crude, together with Beijing and New Delhi, but refiners are mirroring India's lead in reducing supplies.

STAR Refinery Diversifies Crude Procurement

One of the largest Turkey's refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), operated by Azerbaijani firm SOCAR, has recently acquired four cargoes of crude from Iraqi, Kazakhstan, and additional alternative suppliers for year-end delivery, as per sources. This amount to approximately tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of alternative crude, varying by cargo size. By comparison, oil from Russia made up virtually the entirety of the STAR refinery's crude intake in recent months, amounting to approximately 210,000 barrels per day, based on trade data. SOCAR declined to comment.

Tupras Likewise Increasing Alternative Purchases

Another major Turkey's refiner – Tupras refinery – was additionally raising acquisitions of non-Russian grades of crude, according to two sources. Tupras was also likely to soon entirely eliminate Russian crude at one of its two major domestic refineries to continue petroleum shipments to the EU without violating the European Union's incoming restrictions. The refiner declined to comment to a inquiry for a statement.

Ukrainian Deploys Elite Units to Pokrovsk

Ukraine has sent elite troops to the embattled east city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an intense Russian offensive comprising a large number of soldiers, according to Kyiv’s top military leader. The city, dubbed “the gateway to Donetsk,” lies on a major logistical line for the Ukrainian army and has been under Moscow’s crosshairs for more than a year as Moscow aims to seize the whole east Donetsk region.

Recent Updates in Pokrovsk

No fewer than two hundred Moscow's troops had penetrated Pokrovsk’s defensive lines, Ukrainian officials said last week, while military experts concluded that others were closing in on its outskirts in a encircling movement. In his nightly speech on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the fighting in the city and “results in the elimination of the occupiers.”

Zelenskyy Reveals Enhanced Air Defense System

Zelenskyy, who has been pushing his allies for additional air defense systems to counter Russia’s strikes, stated on Sunday that Ukraine had strengthened its air defense network with Berlin's support. “We've strengthened the Patriot element of our national air defence,” he declared, mentioning the advanced American air-defence systems. Without offering additional information, the Ukraine's president specifically thanked Berlin and its leader, Friedrich Merz, for gratitude.

Russian Attacks Kill Innocents, Disrupt Electricity

Russian unmanned aircraft and rockets fired at Ukrainian territory took the lives of at least six individuals, among them two minors, and disrupted electricity to tens of thousands of households, officials said on this past Sunday. Russian forces struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the representatives of the country's chief prosecutor. The victims were male minors aged 11 and fourteen, stated Ukraine’s human rights commissioner. Russia’s attacks disrupted power to the whole eastern Donetsk area as well as nearly 58,000 homes in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. The Eastern military unit said some of its members were killed in one of the enemy strikes on Dnipropetrovsk.