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FormerPresident Donald Trump stated this past Sunday that he is not really considering providing Ukrainian forces with advanced Tomahawk cruise missiles. When questioned by a journalist on his plane, he replied, “No, not currently.” Recent reports had indicated the Pentagon told the administration that U.S. inventories of Tomahawks were sufficient to allow this delivery.

Ukraine's Military Efforts Persist Despite Missile Lack

While Ukraine has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to carry out long-range strikes against Russia, it has still managed to conduct a successful campaign using its domestically-produced drones and rockets against Russian military and key targets, including fuel storage facilities and refineries. This past Sunday, a Kyiv's airstrike struck the Tuapse oil port on the Black Sea, igniting a blaze and harming two ships, as stated by Russian officials. Nearby airfields in the area also had to be closed.

Turkish Oil Plants Turn to Non-Russian Oil Sources

Ankara's biggest oil refining facilities are increasing procurement of non-Russian crude in response to the recent western sanctions on Russia, as reported by industry insiders. The country is a major buyer of oil from Russia, along with Beijing and New Delhi, but refiners are mirroring India's lead in cutting back imports.

STAR Refinery Expands Oil Procurement

One of the largest Turkish refining plants, the STAR refinery, owned by Azeri firm SOCAR, has lately acquired four shipments of crude from Iraqi, Kazakh, and other alternative producers for year-end delivery, as per insiders. This represent roughly 77,000 to 129,000 barrels daily of non-Russian supply, depending on cargo size. In contrast, Russian crude accounted for nearly all of the plant's supply in October and September, amounting to about 210 thousand barrels per day, according to trade information. SOCAR refused to comment.

Tupras Also Increasing Alternative Buys

The other major Turkish oil processor – Tupras – was also increasing purchases of alternative types of crude, as stated by two sources. Tupras was also likely to in the near future entirely eliminate Russian crude at a key facility of its primary major domestic refineries to continue fuel exports to Europe without violating the EU’s upcoming restrictions. The refiner did not respond to a request for comment.

Ukraine Deploys Special Forces to Eastern City

Ukraine has deployed elite troops to the embattled east city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to push back an fierce Moscow's offensive comprising a large number of troops, according to Kyiv’s top commander. The city, called “the gateway to Donetsk,” is located on a key supply route for the Ukrainian military and has been under Russia's sights for more than a year as Moscow aims to control the whole east Donetsk area.

Latest Developments in Pokrovsk

At least two hundred Moscow's soldiers had penetrated the city's defensive lines, Ukrainian officials said last week, while analysts assessed that others were closing in on its outskirts in a encircling movement. In his nightly address on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the fighting in Pokrovsk and “successes in the elimination of the occupiers.”

Zelenskyy Reveals Enhanced Air Defense Network

Zelenskyy, who has been pushing his allies for additional air defense systems to counter Russia’s strikes, stated on this past Sunday that Ukraine had strengthened its air-defence capabilities with Germany’s assistance. “We've boosted the U.S.-made Patriot element of our Ukrainian air defence,” he declared, referring to the sophisticated U.S.-made defense systems. Without offering further information, the Ukrainian leader specifically thanked Berlin and its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, for gratitude.

Moscow's Attacks Claim Civilians, Cut Power

Russian unmanned aircraft and rockets fired at Ukrainian territory killed no fewer than six people, among them two children, and cut power to thousands of households, officials reported on this past Sunday. Moscow's military struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, said the office of Ukraine’s chief prosecutor. The victims were male minors aged 11 and fourteen, said Ukraine’s human rights commissioner. Russia’s strikes cut power to the whole eastern Donetsk area as well as nearly 58 thousand homes in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their governors announced. The Eastern military unit said a number of its members were killed in one of the Russian attacks on the region.