Donald Trump States He Is Not Contemplating Providing Long-Range Missiles to Ukraine.

FormerPresident Trump stated this past Sunday that he was not seriously planning sending Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. When questioned by a reporter on his plane, he answered, “No, not currently.” Recent accounts had indicated the Pentagon informed the White House that U.S. inventories of Tomahawks were sufficient to enable this transfer.

Ukraine's Military Actions Continue Despite Weapon Shortage

While Ukrainian forces has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to execute far-reaching attacks against Russia, it has nonetheless managed to conduct a effective operation using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles against Moscow's military and key targets, including oil depots and processing plants. This past Sunday, a Kyiv's drone attack hit the Tuapse oil port on the coast, igniting a fire and damaging two vessels, as stated by Russian authorities. Nearby airfields in the area also had to be shut down.

Turkey Oil Plants Shift to Non-Russian Oil Sources

Ankara's largest oil refineries are boosting procurement of non-Russian crude in response to the recent western sanctions on Russia, as reported by industry insiders. Turkey 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.

SOCAR Turkey Plant Diversifies Crude Sources

A major Turkish refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), owned by Azerbaijani company SOCAR, has lately purchased four shipments of crude from Iraqi, Kazakhstan, and other alternative suppliers for year-end delivery, according to sources. These purchases amount to approximately tens of thousands of barrels daily of non-Russian supply, depending on shipment volume. By comparison, Russian crude accounted for virtually all of the STAR refinery's crude intake in recent months, totaling about 210 thousand bpd, according to market data. SOCAR refused to comment.

Another Major Refiner Also Boosting Alternative Purchases

Another leading Turkey's oil processor – Tupras – was additionally increasing purchases of non-Russian grades of crude, as stated by two insiders. Tupras was also likely to in the near future completely phase out imports from Russia at one of its two major domestic refineries to continue fuel exports to Europe without violating the European Union's upcoming sanctions. The refiner declined to comment to a inquiry for a statement.

Ukrainian Deploys Elite Units to Pokrovsk

Ukraine has deployed elite troops to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an fierce Russian offensive comprising thousands of soldiers, according to Kyiv’s senior military leader. Pokrovsk, dubbed “the gateway to Donetsk,” is located on a major supply line for the Kyiv's military and has been under Russia's sights for over a year as Russia aims to seize the whole eastern Donetsk region.

Recent Updates in the City

At least two hundred Moscow's soldiers had breached the city's defensive lines, Ukrainian officials said last week, while military experts concluded that others were advancing on its outskirts in a pincer-shaped maneuver. In his nightly address on this past Sunday, the Ukrainian president mentioned the fighting in Pokrovsk and “results in the elimination of the occupiers.”

Ukrainian President Announces Enhanced Air Defense System

Zelenskyy, who has been pushing his partners for additional air defense systems to hold off Russia’s strikes, stated on this past Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air-defence network with Germany’s support. “We have boosted the U.S.-made Patriot component of our national air defense,” he said, mentioning the sophisticated U.S.-made defense systems. Without offering additional details, the Ukraine's president specifically thanked Germany and its leader, Friedrich Merz, for gratitude.

Russian Strikes Kill Innocents, Disrupt Electricity

Russian unmanned aircraft and rockets targeting Ukrainian territory killed at least six people, including two minors, and disrupted power to tens of thousands of households, officials said on Sunday. Moscow's military struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, said the representatives of Ukraine’s prosecutor general. The victims were male minors aged eleven and 14, stated the nation's human rights commissioner. The strikes cut electricity to the whole eastern Donetsk area as well as almost 58,000 households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. The Eastern military unit confirmed some of its members were killed in one of the enemy attacks on Dnipropetrovsk.