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Ex-President Donald Trump indicated on Sunday that he is not seriously considering supplying Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. In response to a query by a journalist on Air Force One, he replied, “No, not currently.” Earlier accounts had suggested the U.S. Department of Defense told the White House that American stockpiles of Tomahawks were ample to allow such a delivery.

Ukrainian Military Efforts Persist Without Weapon Lack

While Ukraine has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to execute long-range strikes against Russia, it has still succeeded to wage a successful campaign using its own drones and rockets against Russian military and strategic targets, including fuel storage facilities and processing plants. This past Sunday, a Ukrainian airstrike hit the port facility on the Black Sea, causing a fire and damaging two vessels, according to Russian authorities. Adjacent Russian airports in the region also had to be shut down.

Turkish Refineries Shift to Alternative Crude Supplies

Turkey's largest oil refining facilities are increasing procurement of alternative crude in reaction to the latest international sanctions on Moscow, according to market sources. The country is a major purchaser of oil from Russia, along with Beijing and New Delhi, but refiners are following India's example in reducing imports.

SOCAR Turkey Plant Diversifies Oil Sources

A major Turkish refining plants, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), operated by Azerbaijani company SOCAR, has lately purchased four cargoes of crude from Iraqi, Kazakhstan, and additional alternative suppliers for year-end delivery, according to insiders. These purchases amount to approximately tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of alternative crude, varying by shipment volume. In contrast, oil from Russia accounted for virtually the entirety of the STAR refinery's crude intake in recent months, totaling approximately 210,000 bpd, based on trade information. SOCAR declined to comment.

Tupras Also Boosting Alternative Buys

Another major Turkey's refiner – Tupras – was additionally raising acquisitions of alternative grades of crude, according to two insiders. The company was also expected to soon entirely eliminate imports from Russia at a key facility of its primary main domestic refineries to maintain petroleum shipments to the EU without violating the EU’s upcoming restrictions. Tupras did not respond to a request for comment.

Ukraine Sends Special Forces to Pokrovsk

Kyiv has sent elite troops to the heavily contested eastern city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to repel an intense Russian offensive comprising a large number of troops, according to Kyiv’s senior commander. Pokrovsk, dubbed “the entrance to Donetsk,” is located on a major supply line for the Kyiv's military and has been under Russia's crosshairs for more than a year as Russia pushes to control the entire east Donetsk region.

Recent Developments in Pokrovsk

At least 200 Moscow's soldiers had penetrated Pokrovsk’s defences, Kyiv said last week, while analysts assessed that others were advancing on its outskirts in a encircling maneuver. In his evening address on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the combat in the city and “successes in the destruction of the invading forces.”

Zelenskyy Reveals Enhanced Air Defense System

Zelenskyy, who has been urging his allies for additional air defences to counter Russia’s attacks, stated on Sunday that the country had reinforced its air-defence network with Berlin's support. “We've boosted the Patriot element of our national air defence,” Zelenskyy said, referring to the advanced U.S.-made defense systems. Without offering additional details, the Ukrainian president specifically thanked Berlin and its chancellor, the German chancellor, for thanks.

Russian Strikes Kill Civilians, Disrupt Power

Russian unmanned aircraft and missiles fired at Ukraine took the lives of no fewer than 6 individuals, including 2 minors, and disrupted power to tens of thousands of households, authorities reported on Sunday. Moscow's military attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, according to the representatives of the country's chief prosecutor. The victims were male minors aged eleven and fourteen, said the nation's ombudsman. Russia’s attacks disrupted electricity to the entire eastern Donetsk region as well as nearly 58,000 households in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. Ukraine’s Vostok army group confirmed a number of its members were killed in one of the enemy strikes on Dnipropetrovsk.