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FormerPresident Donald Trump indicated on Sunday that he is not actively contemplating supplying Ukrainian forces with advanced Tomahawk cruise missiles. After being asked by a reporter on Air Force One, he responded, “No, not currently.” Earlier accounts had indicated the Pentagon informed the White House that American inventories of Tomahawks were ample to allow such a transfer.

Ukrainian Military Actions Persist Without Missile Shortage

While Ukrainian forces has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to carry out long-range strikes against Russia, it has still succeeded to wage a successful operation using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and rockets against Russian military and key targets, including fuel storage facilities and processing plants. On Sunday, a Kyiv's drone attack hit the port facility 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 shut down.

Turkey Refineries Shift to Alternative Crude Supplies

Ankara's biggest oil refineries are boosting procurement of non-Russian crude in response to the recent international sanctions on Moscow, according to industry sources. The country is a significant buyer of Russian crude, along with China and New Delhi, but processing companies are mirroring New Delhi's example in cutting back imports.

STAR Refinery Expands Crude Sources

A major Turkey's refining plants, the STAR refinery, owned by Azeri firm SOCAR, has recently purchased multiple shipments of crude from Iraqi, Kazakh, and additional non-Russian producers for year-end delivery, according to sources. These purchases represent roughly tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian supply, varying by shipment volume. By comparison, Russian crude accounted for virtually the entirety of the plant's supply in October and September, totaling about 210,000 bpd, based on trade data. SOCAR refused to provide a statement.

Tupras Also Increasing Non-Russian Purchases

Another major Turkish oil processor – Tupras refinery – was additionally increasing purchases of alternative grades of crude, according to multiple insiders. Tupras was furthermore expected to in the near future entirely eliminate imports from Russia at a key facility of its primary main domestic plants to continue fuel shipments to Europe without breaching the EU’s upcoming sanctions. The refiner declined to comment to a request for a statement.

Ukraine Sends Elite Units to Eastern City

Ukraine has sent elite troops to the heavily contested east city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an fierce Moscow's offensive involving a large number of soldiers, as stated by Ukraine's top commander. Pokrovsk, dubbed “the gateway to Donetsk,” is located on a key logistical route for the Ukrainian military and has been under Moscow’s sights for more than a twelve months as Russia aims to seize the entire eastern Donetsk region.

Latest Updates in Pokrovsk

At least two hundred Russian soldiers had penetrated Pokrovsk’s defensive lines, Ukrainian officials reported recently, while analysts concluded that additional forces were closing in on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped movement. In his evening speech on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the fighting in the city and “successes in the destruction of the occupiers.”

Zelenskyy Announces Enhanced Air Defense System

Zelenskyy, who has been pushing his partners for additional air defense systems to hold off Moscow's attacks, announced on Sunday that Ukraine had strengthened its air-defence network with Berlin's support. “We've strengthened the Patriot component of our Ukrainian air defence,” he said, referring to the advanced U.S.-made defense systems. Not offering additional details, the Ukrainian leader singled out Germany and its leader, Friedrich Merz, for gratitude.

Moscow's Attacks Kill Civilians, Cut Power

Russian unmanned aircraft and missiles targeting Ukraine killed at least 6 people, among them two minors, and disrupted electricity to thousands of households, officials reported on this past Sunday. Moscow's military attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, according to the representatives of the country's prosecutor general. The children were male minors aged 11 and 14, stated the nation's ombudsman. Russia’s attacks cut power to the whole east Donetsk area as well as nearly 58,000 households in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their governors announced. The Eastern army group confirmed some of its members were killed in one of the enemy strikes on Dnipropetrovsk.