Trump States He Isn't Considering Supplying Long-Range Cruise Missiles to Kyiv.

Ex-President Trump remarked this past Sunday that he is not really considering providing Ukrainian forces with advanced Tomahawk missiles. When questioned by a reporter on Air Force One, he replied, “No, not at the moment.” Earlier reports had claimed the U.S. Department of Defense informed the White House that American inventories of Tomahawks were sufficient to allow such a delivery.

Ukraine's Military Actions Persist Without Missile Shortage

Although Ukrainian forces has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to conduct long-range strikes against Russia, it has still managed to wage a effective campaign using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles against Moscow's military and strategic objectives, including oil depots and refineries. On Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack struck the port facility on the coast, igniting a blaze and harming two vessels, as stated by Moscow authorities. Adjacent Russian airports in the region also had to be closed.

Turkey Refineries Shift to Alternative Crude Supplies

Ankara's biggest oil refining facilities are increasing purchases of non-Russian crude in response to the recent western restrictions on Russia, according to industry insiders. The country is a major purchaser of oil from Russia, along with China and India, but refiners are following India's example in reducing supplies.

STAR Refinery Expands Oil Sources

One of the largest Turkey's refining plants, the STAR refinery, owned by Azeri company SOCAR, has lately acquired four shipments of crude from Iraq, Kazakhstan, and other non-Russian suppliers for December arrival, as per sources. This represent roughly 77,000 to 129,000 barrels per day (bpd) of alternative crude, varying by cargo size. In contrast, Russian crude made up nearly the entirety of the STAR refinery's crude intake in recent months, amounting to about 210 thousand bpd, based on trade data. SOCAR declined to comment.

Another Major Refiner Likewise Boosting Non-Russian Buys

Another leading Turkish refiner – Tupras – was also raising purchases of non-Russian types of crude, as stated by two sources. Tupras was furthermore likely to soon entirely eliminate Russian crude at a key facility of its two major domestic refineries to continue petroleum exports to Europe without breaching the EU’s upcoming restrictions. The refiner declined to comment to a request for comment.

Ukrainian Deploys Special Forces to Pokrovsk

Kyiv has sent elite troops to the heavily contested east city of Pokrovsk in an effort to repel an fierce Moscow's assault involving a large number of troops, according to Kyiv’s senior commander. Pokrovsk, called “the entrance to Donetsk,” lies on a major logistical route for the Ukrainian military and has been under Russia's sights for over a twelve months as Russia aims to seize the whole east Donetsk region.

Recent Updates in Pokrovsk

At least two hundred Moscow's troops had penetrated the city's defences, Kyiv reported last week, while analysts assessed that additional forces were closing in on its outskirts in a encircling movement. In his nightly address on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the combat in Pokrovsk and “results in the destruction of the invading forces.”

Zelenskyy Announces Enhanced Air Defence System

Zelenskyy, who has been pushing his allies for additional air defense systems to counter Russia’s strikes, stated on this past Sunday that the country had strengthened its air defense network with Germany’s support. “We've strengthened the Patriot element of our Ukrainian air defense,” he said, referring to the advanced U.S.-made defense systems. Without offering further information, the Ukraine's leader specifically thanked Germany and its leader, Friedrich Merz, for gratitude.

Russian Attacks Kill Innocents, Cut Electricity

Russian unmanned aircraft and rockets targeting Ukraine took the lives of at least 6 individuals, including two minors, and disrupted power to thousands of residents, authorities reported on Sunday. Moscow's military attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, according to the office of Ukraine’s chief prosecutor. The children were two boys of ages 11 and 14, said the nation's human rights commissioner. Russia’s strikes cut power to the entire eastern Donetsk region as well as nearly 58,000 homes in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their governors announced. The Vostok army group said some of its members were killed in a particular of the Russian strikes on the region.