Donald Trump Affirms He Isn't Contemplating Supplying Tomahawk Cruise Missiles to Kyiv.

FormerPresident Trump remarked this past Sunday that he is not actively considering sending Ukraine with advanced Tomahawk cruise missiles. In response to a query by a reporter on his plane, he replied, “No, not at the moment.” Recent accounts had indicated the U.S. Department of Defense informed the White House that U.S. inventories of Tomahawks were ample to allow such a delivery.

Ukrainian Military Actions Continue Without Weapon Lack

Although Ukrainian forces has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to execute far-reaching strikes against Russian targets, it has still managed to wage a successful operation using its own drones and missiles against Moscow's military and key targets, such as fuel storage facilities and refineries. This past Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack struck the port facility on the coast, causing a blaze and damaging two vessels, according to Russian officials. Nearby Russian airports in the region also had to be shut down.

Turkish Refineries Turn to Non-Russian Oil Supplies

Ankara's biggest oil refining facilities are increasing purchases of alternative crude in reaction to the recent international restrictions on Moscow, according to industry insiders. The country is a significant buyer of Russian crude, along with Beijing and New Delhi, but refiners are following New Delhi's lead in reducing supplies.

STAR Refinery Expands Crude Sources

One of the largest Turkey's refining plants, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), operated by Azeri company SOCAR, has lately purchased four shipments of crude from Iraq, Kazakhstan, and additional alternative producers for year-end arrival, as per insiders. This amount to approximately tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian crude, depending on cargo size. In contrast, Russian crude accounted for virtually all of the STAR refinery's supply in October and September, amounting to approximately 210 thousand barrels per day, according to market data. SOCAR refused to provide a statement.

Tupras Also Increasing Non-Russian Buys

The other major Turkish refiner – Tupras refinery – was also raising acquisitions of non-Russian grades of crude, as stated by two sources. Tupras was furthermore expected to soon entirely phase out imports from Russia at one of its primary main domestic plants to continue fuel exports to the EU without breaching the EU’s upcoming sanctions. Tupras did not respond to a request for a statement.

Ukrainian Sends Special Forces to Pokrovsk

Ukraine has deployed elite troops to the heavily contested east city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an fierce Russian assault comprising a large number of soldiers, according to Kyiv’s senior commander. Pokrovsk, dubbed “the entrance to Donetsk,” lies on a key logistical route for the Ukrainian army and has been under Russia's sights for more than a year as Moscow pushes to seize the whole east Donetsk region.

Recent Developments in Pokrovsk

At least two hundred Russian troops had breached Pokrovsk’s defensive lines, Kyiv said last week, while military experts assessed that additional forces were advancing on its outskirts in a pincer-shaped maneuver. In his evening speech on Sunday, the Ukrainian president spoke of the combat in the city and “successes in the destruction of the invading forces.”

Zelenskyy Reveals Enhanced Air Defence System

The president, who has been urging his allies for more air defense systems to hold off Russia’s strikes, announced on this past Sunday that Ukraine had strengthened its air-defence network with Berlin's assistance. “We've boosted the Patriot component of our Ukrainian air defence,” Zelenskyy declared, mentioning the advanced U.S.-made defense systems. Not offering further information, the Ukraine's president specifically thanked Germany and its chancellor, the German chancellor, for gratitude.

Moscow's Attacks Claim Innocents, Cut Power

Moscow's unmanned aircraft and rockets fired at Ukraine killed no fewer than six individuals, including two minors, and cut electricity to thousands of households, authorities said on this past Sunday. Moscow's military attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, said the representatives of Ukraine’s prosecutor general. The children were two boys of ages 11 and 14, said the nation's ombudsman. Russia’s attacks disrupted electricity to the whole eastern Donetsk area as well as almost 58,000 homes in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. Ukraine’s Eastern military unit said a number of its personnel were killed in a particular of the enemy attacks on Dnipropetrovsk.