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Ex-President Trump remarked this past Sunday that he is not really contemplating supplying Ukrainian forces with advanced Tomahawk missiles. In response to a query by a reporter on his plane, he answered, “No, not at the moment.” Recent reports had claimed the U.S. Department of Defense told the administration that U.S. inventories of Tomahawks were ample to allow such a transfer.

Ukraine's Military Efforts Persist Without Weapon Shortage

Although Ukrainian forces has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to execute far-reaching strikes against Russia, it has still managed to wage a successful operation using its domestically-produced drones and missiles against Russian military and key targets, including fuel storage facilities and processing plants. This past Sunday, a Ukrainian airstrike targeted the Tuapse oil port on the Black Sea, causing a fire and harming two vessels, as stated by Moscow authorities. Adjacent airfields in the area also had to be closed.

Turkish Refineries Shift to Non-Russian Crude Supplies

Ankara's biggest oil refining facilities are increasing purchases of alternative crude in response to the recent international sanctions on Russia, as reported by industry sources. The country is a significant buyer of oil from Russia, along with Beijing and New Delhi, but refiners are following New Delhi's example in reducing imports.

SOCAR Turkey Plant Expands Crude Sources

One of the largest Turkey's refineries, the STAR refinery, owned by Azerbaijani firm SOCAR, has recently purchased multiple shipments of crude from Iraqi, Kazakhstan, and additional alternative suppliers for December delivery, as per insiders. This represent roughly 77,000 to 129,000 barrels daily of non-Russian supply, varying by cargo size. By comparison, oil from Russia made up nearly all of the STAR refinery's crude intake in October and September, totaling about 210 thousand barrels per day, based on market data. SOCAR declined to provide a statement.

Another Major Refiner Also Increasing Alternative Purchases

The other leading Turkey's refiner – Tupras – was additionally increasing purchases of non-Russian grades of crude, according to two insiders. The company was furthermore likely to soon entirely phase out Russian crude at one of its two major Turkish plants to continue petroleum shipments to the EU without violating the European Union's upcoming sanctions. The refiner declined to comment to a request for comment.

Ukrainian Deploys 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 intense Moscow's offensive involving a large number of troops, according to Ukraine's senior military leader. The city, dubbed “the entrance to Donetsk,” is located on a major supply route for the Ukrainian military and has been in Moscow’s sights for over a year as Moscow aims to control the entire eastern Donetsk region.

Recent Developments in the City

No fewer than 200 Moscow's troops had penetrated the city's defensive lines, Ukrainian officials reported recently, while military experts assessed that additional forces were advancing on its perimeter in a encircling maneuver. In his nightly speech on this past Sunday, the Ukrainian president spoke of the fighting in Pokrovsk and “results in the elimination of the invading forces.”

Zelenskyy Announces Strengthened Air Defense System

Zelenskyy, who has been urging his allies for additional air defense systems to counter Moscow's strikes, announced on this past Sunday that Ukraine had strengthened its air-defence network with Berlin's assistance. “We've strengthened the U.S.-made Patriot component of our national air defence,” he declared, referring to the advanced U.S.-made air-defence systems. Not offering additional details, the Ukrainian president specifically thanked Berlin and its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, for thanks.

Moscow's Strikes Kill Innocents, Disrupt Power

Russian unmanned aircraft and missiles targeting Ukrainian territory took the lives of no fewer than 6 individuals, among them 2 minors, and disrupted power to tens of thousands of residents, authorities reported on Sunday. Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, according to the representatives of Ukraine’s prosecutor general. The children were male minors of ages eleven and fourteen, said the nation's human rights commissioner. The attacks cut electricity to the entire eastern Donetsk area as well as almost 58,000 households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. The Vostok army group said some of its personnel were killed in a particular of the Russian attacks on Dnipropetrovsk.