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Ex-President Donald Trump remarked on Sunday that he is not actively contemplating supplying Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. In response to a query by a reporter aboard Air Force One, he responded, “No, not currently.” Earlier reports had suggested the U.S. Department of Defense told the White House that American inventories of Tomahawks were adequate to allow such a delivery.

Ukraine's Defense Actions Persist Despite Weapon Lack

While Ukrainian forces has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to execute far-reaching strikes against Russia, it has nonetheless managed to conduct a successful campaign using its domestically-produced drones and rockets against Moscow's military and key objectives, such as fuel storage facilities and processing plants. This past Sunday, a Kyiv's airstrike struck the Tuapse oil port on the coast, causing a blaze and damaging two vessels, according to Russian authorities. Adjacent Russian airports in the region also had to be shut down.

Turkish Oil Plants Turn to Non-Russian Oil Sources

Ankara's largest oil refining facilities are boosting purchases of non-Russian crude in reaction to the recent international sanctions on Moscow, according to market sources. The country is a major purchaser of oil from Russia, together with China and New Delhi, but refiners are following New Delhi's example in reducing supplies.

STAR Refinery Diversifies Crude Procurement

A major Turkey's refining plants, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), owned by Azerbaijani company SOCAR, has recently purchased four shipments of crude from Iraqi, Kazakhstan, and additional alternative suppliers for year-end delivery, according to sources. These purchases amount to roughly 77,000 to 129,000 barrels per day (bpd) of alternative crude, varying by cargo size. In contrast, Russian crude accounted for nearly the entirety of the STAR refinery's supply in October and September, totaling about 210 thousand barrels per day, according to market data. SOCAR declined to provide a statement.

Another Major Refiner Also Boosting Non-Russian Purchases

The other major Turkish refiner – Tupras – was also increasing acquisitions of alternative types of crude, as stated by multiple sources. Tupras was furthermore expected to in the near future entirely eliminate Russian crude at one of its two main domestic refineries to maintain fuel shipments to the EU without breaching the European Union's upcoming restrictions. Tupras declined to comment to a inquiry for a statement.

Ukrainian Sends 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 Moscow's assault comprising a large number of troops, as stated by Kyiv’s top military leader. The city, called “the gateway to Donetsk,” is located on a key logistical line for the Ukrainian army and has been in Russia's sights for more than a year as Moscow aims to control the whole eastern Donetsk area.

Recent Updates in Pokrovsk

No fewer than 200 Russian troops had penetrated the city's defensive lines, Ukrainian officials reported last week, while military experts concluded that additional forces were closing in on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped movement. In his nightly address on this past Sunday, the Ukrainian president mentioned the combat in Pokrovsk and “successes in the elimination of the occupiers.”

Zelenskyy Reveals Enhanced Air Defense System

The president, who has been urging his allies for additional air defences to hold off Moscow's strikes, stated on Sunday that the country had reinforced its air defense network with Berlin's assistance. “We have boosted the U.S.-made Patriot element of our Ukrainian air defense,” Zelenskyy said, mentioning the sophisticated American air-defence systems. Without offering additional information, the Ukraine's leader specifically thanked Berlin and its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, for thanks.

Russian Strikes Claim Civilians, Disrupt Power

Russian unmanned aircraft and rockets fired at Ukrainian territory killed at least six individuals, including 2 children, and disrupted power to tens of thousands of residents, officials said on Sunday. Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, said the representatives of the country's chief prosecutor. The children were two boys aged eleven and 14, said the nation's ombudsman. Russia’s attacks disrupted power to the entire eastern Donetsk region as well as nearly 58,000 households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their governors announced. Ukraine’s Eastern military unit confirmed some of its personnel were killed in one of the Russian attacks on Dnipropetrovsk.