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FormerPresident Trump remarked this past Sunday that he was not really planning providing Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk missiles. In response to a query by a reporter on his plane, he replied, “No, not really.” Earlier reports had claimed the U.S. Department of Defense told the White House that U.S. inventories of Tomahawks were ample to enable this delivery.

Ukrainian Military Actions Persist Despite Weapon Lack

Although Ukraine has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to carry out long-range attacks against Russian targets, it has nonetheless managed to wage a effective operation using its domestically-produced drones and missiles against Moscow's military and key objectives, such as oil depots and processing plants. This past Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack struck the Tuapse oil port on the Black Sea, igniting a blaze and damaging two vessels, as stated by Moscow officials. Adjacent airfields in the area also had to be closed.

Turkey Oil Plants Turn to Alternative Crude Supplies

Turkey's largest oil refineries are boosting purchases of non-Russian crude in response to the latest international sanctions on Moscow, according to market sources. Turkey is a major purchaser of Russian crude, along with China and New Delhi, but refiners are mirroring New Delhi's lead in cutting back supplies.

STAR Refinery Expands Oil Sources

A major Turkish refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), operated by Azerbaijani firm SOCAR, has lately acquired four cargoes of crude from Iraqi, Kazakhstan, and additional non-Russian producers for year-end arrival, according to insiders. This represent roughly tens of thousands of barrels daily of alternative supply, varying by shipment volume. In contrast, oil from Russia accounted for virtually all of the STAR refinery's supply in recent months, totaling approximately 210 thousand barrels per day, based on trade data. SOCAR declined to provide a statement.

Tupras Likewise Increasing Non-Russian Buys

Another major Turkish oil processor – Tupras – was additionally increasing acquisitions of alternative grades of crude, according to two sources. The company was also likely to in the near future entirely eliminate imports from Russia at one of its two major domestic plants to continue fuel shipments to Europe without breaching the European Union's incoming restrictions. The refiner did not respond to a inquiry for a statement.

Ukraine Deploys Elite Units to Eastern City

Ukraine has deployed special forces to the heavily contested eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to repel an intense Russian assault comprising a large number of soldiers, as stated by Kyiv’s senior military leader. The city, called “the gateway to Donetsk,” is located on a major logistical route for the Ukrainian military and has been in Russia's crosshairs for more than a twelve months as Russia pushes to seize the whole east Donetsk area.

Latest Updates in the City

No fewer than 200 Russian soldiers had breached Pokrovsk’s defences, Ukrainian officials said recently, while military experts assessed that additional forces were advancing on its outskirts in a encircling movement. In his evening address on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the fighting in Pokrovsk and “results in the destruction of the invading forces.”

Zelenskyy Announces Strengthened Air Defence Network

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

Moscow's Strikes Claim Civilians, Disrupt Electricity

Russian drones and rockets targeting Ukrainian territory took the lives of no fewer than six people, among them two minors, and disrupted power to tens of thousands of residents, authorities said on Sunday. Moscow's military struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, said the representatives of the country's chief prosecutor. The children were male minors of ages eleven and fourteen, stated Ukraine’s ombudsman. The attacks disrupted electricity to the entire eastern Donetsk region as well as almost 58,000 homes in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders announced. Ukraine’s Eastern military unit said a number of its personnel were killed in a particular of the enemy attacks on Dnipropetrovsk.