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Ex-President Trump remarked on Sunday that he is not really considering supplying Ukraine with advanced Tomahawk cruise missiles. When questioned by a journalist on his plane, he replied, “No, not at the moment.” Recent accounts had suggested the U.S. Department of Defense told the administration that U.S. stockpiles of Tomahawks were ample to allow such a delivery.

Ukrainian Defense Efforts Persist Without Missile Lack

While Ukrainian forces has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to execute long-range strikes against Russian targets, it has still managed to wage a successful campaign using its own drones and rockets against Russian armed and key targets, including fuel storage facilities and refineries. This past Sunday, a Kyiv's airstrike targeted the Tuapse oil port on the Black Sea, causing a blaze and damaging two vessels, as stated by Russian authorities. Adjacent Russian airports in the area also had to be closed.

Turkish Refineries Shift to Alternative Crude Sources

Ankara's largest oil refineries are boosting purchases of alternative crude in reaction to the recent western sanctions on Russia, according to market insiders. Turkey is a significant purchaser of Russian crude, together with China and India, but refiners are following New Delhi's lead in reducing imports.

SOCAR Turkey Plant Diversifies Oil Sources

One of the largest Turkey's refineries, the STAR refinery, operated by Azerbaijani firm SOCAR, has lately acquired multiple cargoes of crude from Iraq, Kazakhstan, and additional alternative suppliers for December delivery, as per insiders. This represent roughly 77,000 to 129,000 barrels per day (bpd) of alternative crude, varying by cargo size. In contrast, oil from Russia made up nearly all of the STAR refinery's supply in October and September, totaling about 210 thousand barrels per day, according to market information. SOCAR declined to provide a statement.

Another Major Refiner Also Increasing Non-Russian Buys

Another major Turkish refiner – Tupras – was additionally increasing purchases of non-Russian types of crude, as stated by two sources. Tupras was also likely to in the near future completely eliminate imports from Russia at one of its two main Turkish refineries to continue fuel shipments to Europe without breaching the EU’s upcoming restrictions. The refiner did not respond to a request for comment.

Ukraine Deploys Elite Units to Eastern City

Ukraine has sent elite troops to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to repel an fierce Moscow's offensive comprising thousands of troops, as stated by Kyiv’s senior military leader. Pokrovsk, called “the entrance to Donetsk,” is located on a key logistical route for the Kyiv's military and has been under Moscow’s crosshairs for over a twelve months as Moscow aims to seize the entire eastern Donetsk region.

Latest Updates in Pokrovsk

No fewer than two hundred Russian soldiers had penetrated the city's defences, Ukrainian officials said recently, while analysts assessed that additional forces were closing in on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped maneuver. In his evening speech on Sunday, the Ukrainian president mentioned the fighting in Pokrovsk and “successes in the destruction of the invading forces.”

Zelenskyy Announces Enhanced Air Defence System

Zelenskyy, who has been urging his allies for additional air defense systems to counter Moscow's attacks, stated on this past Sunday that the country had strengthened its air defense capabilities with Germany’s assistance. “We have strengthened the U.S.-made Patriot element of our Ukrainian air defence,” he said, mentioning the sophisticated American air-defence systems. Without providing additional information, the Ukrainian leader specifically thanked Germany and its leader, the German chancellor, for gratitude.

Russian Strikes Claim Civilians, Cut Power

Moscow's unmanned aircraft and missiles targeting Ukraine took the lives of no fewer than six people, among them two children, and disrupted power to tens of thousands of households, authorities reported on Sunday. Moscow's military attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the representatives of the country's prosecutor general. The victims were male minors aged 11 and 14, said Ukraine’s human rights commissioner. The strikes disrupted power to the whole east Donetsk area as well as almost 58,000 homes in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. Ukraine’s Vostok military unit said some of its members were killed in one of the Russian strikes on Dnipropetrovsk.