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FormerPresident Trump indicated on Sunday that he was not really considering providing Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. When questioned by a journalist aboard Air Force One, he responded, “No, not really.” Earlier reports had suggested the U.S. Department of Defense told the White House that U.S. inventories of Tomahawks were adequate to enable such a transfer.

Ukraine's Defense Efforts Persist Despite Weapon Shortage

While Ukrainian forces has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to conduct long-range attacks against Russia, it has nonetheless succeeded to conduct a successful campaign using its domestically-produced drones and rockets against Moscow's military and strategic targets, including oil depots and refineries. This past Sunday, a Kyiv's airstrike targeted the port facility on the coast, causing a blaze and damaging two ships, according to Moscow officials. Nearby Russian airports in the area also had to be shut down.

Turkish Oil Plants Turn to Non-Russian Oil Sources

Turkey's largest oil refining facilities are boosting procurement of alternative crude in response to the latest western sanctions on Russia, as reported by industry sources. The country is a significant purchaser of Russian crude, together with Beijing and India, but refiners are following India's lead in reducing supplies.

SOCAR Turkey Refinery Diversifies Crude Procurement

One of the largest Turkish refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), owned by Azeri company SOCAR, has recently purchased multiple shipments of crude from Iraqi, Kazakh, and other alternative suppliers for December arrival, as per sources. These purchases amount to approximately 77,000 to 129,000 barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian crude, depending on shipment volume. By comparison, oil from Russia made up nearly the entirety of the STAR refinery's crude intake in October and September, amounting to about 210 thousand bpd, based on market information. SOCAR declined to provide a statement.

Another Major Refiner Also Boosting Non-Russian Buys

The other major Turkey's refiner – Tupras – was additionally raising acquisitions of alternative types of crude, as stated by two sources. The company was also expected to soon completely phase out Russian crude at a key facility of its two main domestic refineries to maintain petroleum shipments to the EU without violating the EU’s upcoming sanctions. The refiner did not respond to a request for comment.

Ukrainian Sends Elite Units to Pokrovsk

Kyiv has deployed special forces to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an intense Moscow's offensive comprising a large number of soldiers, as stated by Ukraine's top military leader. The city, called “the gateway to Donetsk,” is located on a major supply line for the Ukrainian army and has been under Moscow’s sights for over a twelve months as Moscow pushes to seize the entire eastern Donetsk area.

Latest Developments in Pokrovsk

No fewer than two hundred Russian soldiers had penetrated Pokrovsk’s defences, Ukrainian officials reported last week, while analysts concluded that additional forces were closing in on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped movement. In his evening address on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the combat in the city and “successes in the destruction of the occupiers.”

Ukrainian President Announces Enhanced Air Defence System

The president, who has been pushing his allies for additional air defences to counter Moscow's strikes, announced on Sunday that the country had strengthened its air-defence capabilities with Berlin's assistance. “We have boosted the U.S.-made Patriot component of our Ukrainian air defence,” Zelenskyy said, mentioning the sophisticated American air-defence systems. Not offering additional information, the Ukraine's leader specifically thanked Berlin and its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, for thanks.

Russian Attacks Claim Innocents, Cut Electricity

Russian drones and missiles targeting Ukraine killed at least 6 people, including 2 minors, and cut power to tens of thousands of residents, authorities reported on this past Sunday. Moscow's military struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, according to the office of the country's prosecutor general. The victims were male minors of ages eleven and fourteen, said the nation's human rights commissioner. Russia’s strikes cut electricity to the whole east Donetsk region as well as nearly 58,000 homes in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. The Vostok army group said some of its members were killed in one of the enemy attacks on Dnipropetrovsk.