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Ex-President Trump stated on Sunday that he was not actively contemplating sending Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk missiles. In response to a query by a reporter on his plane, he replied, “No, not really.” Recent accounts had suggested the U.S. Department of Defense told the administration that U.S. inventories of Tomahawks were adequate to enable this delivery.

Ukraine's Military Actions Persist Despite Missile Lack

While Ukrainian forces has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to conduct far-reaching attacks against Russia, it has nonetheless succeeded to conduct a successful campaign using its own unmanned aerial vehicles and rockets against Moscow's military and strategic targets, including oil depots and processing plants. On Sunday, a Kyiv's drone attack struck the port facility on the Black Sea, igniting a fire and damaging two vessels, according to Moscow officials. Nearby airfields in the area also had to be shut down.

Turkish Oil Plants Shift to Alternative Oil Sources

Ankara's biggest oil refineries are increasing procurement of alternative crude in reaction to the latest international restrictions on Russia, according to industry insiders. The country is a significant purchaser of oil from Russia, along with China and India, but refiners are following India's lead in cutting back supplies.

SOCAR Turkey Refinery Expands Crude Sources

One of the largest Turkey's refining plants, the STAR refinery, owned by Azerbaijani company SOCAR, has recently purchased multiple cargoes of crude from Iraq, Kazakhstan, and other non-Russian producers for year-end delivery, according to sources. This represent roughly 77,000 to 129,000 barrels daily of non-Russian supply, depending on shipment volume. In contrast, Russian crude accounted for virtually all of the STAR refinery's supply in October and September, amounting to approximately 210,000 barrels per day, based on trade information. SOCAR declined to provide a statement.

Another Major Refiner Likewise Increasing Non-Russian Buys

Another leading Turkish refiner – Tupras – was also raising acquisitions of alternative grades of crude, as stated by two insiders. Tupras was also likely to in the near future entirely eliminate imports from Russia at a key facility of its primary main Turkish refineries to maintain fuel exports to the EU without violating the EU’s upcoming sanctions. Tupras did not respond to a request for a statement.

Ukraine Deploys Special Forces to Eastern City

Ukraine has sent elite troops to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to push back an intense Moscow's assault comprising thousands of troops, according to Ukraine's senior military leader. Pokrovsk, dubbed “the entrance to Donetsk,” lies on a key supply route for the Ukrainian military and has been under Russia's crosshairs for more than a year as Moscow aims to control the entire eastern Donetsk area.

Latest Developments in the City

At least two hundred Russian troops had penetrated Pokrovsk’s defensive lines, Ukrainian officials said last week, while analysts assessed that others were closing in on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped maneuver. In his nightly address on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the combat in Pokrovsk and “results in the destruction of the occupiers.”

Zelenskyy Announces Strengthened Air Defence Network

The president, who has been urging his partners for additional air defences to hold off Russia’s attacks, stated on Sunday that the country had reinforced its air-defence network with Berlin's assistance. “We've strengthened the Patriot element of our national air defense,” Zelenskyy said, mentioning the sophisticated American defense systems. Without offering further information, the Ukraine's president singled out Berlin and its leader, Friedrich Merz, for gratitude.

Russian Strikes Claim Innocents, Cut Power

Moscow's drones and missiles targeting Ukrainian territory killed at least 6 people, including two minors, and cut electricity to thousands of households, authorities reported on Sunday. Moscow's military struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, according to the representatives of the country's chief prosecutor. The victims were male minors of ages eleven and fourteen, stated Ukraine’s human rights commissioner. The strikes disrupted power to the entire eastern Donetsk area as well as nearly 58 thousand households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders announced. The Vostok military unit confirmed some of its personnel were killed in one of the enemy attacks on the region.