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FormerPresident Trump indicated this past Sunday that he was not really planning providing Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. After being asked by a journalist aboard Air Force One, he responded, “No, not really.” Recent accounts had suggested the U.S. Department of Defense told the White House that U.S. stockpiles of Tomahawks were ample to enable this delivery.

Ukrainian Defense Efforts Continue Without Weapon Shortage

Although Ukraine has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to carry out long-range strikes against Russian targets, it has nonetheless managed to wage a successful campaign using its own drones and rockets against Moscow's military and key targets, such as fuel storage facilities and refineries. On Sunday, a Kyiv's airstrike targeted the port facility on the coast, igniting a fire and harming two vessels, according to Moscow officials. Adjacent Russian airports in the area also had to be closed.

Turkish Refineries Shift to Alternative Crude Supplies

Ankara's largest oil refineries are boosting purchases of non-Russian crude in response to the recent international restrictions on Russia, according to market sources. The country is a significant purchaser of oil from Russia, along with Beijing and India, but processing companies are mirroring India's example in cutting back imports.

STAR Refinery Diversifies Oil Sources

One of the largest Turkish refineries, the STAR refinery, operated by Azerbaijani firm SOCAR, has lately acquired multiple cargoes of crude from Iraq, Kazakh, and additional alternative suppliers for year-end delivery, according to insiders. These purchases represent approximately 77,000 to 129,000 barrels daily of alternative crude, varying by cargo size. By comparison, oil from Russia accounted for virtually the entirety of the STAR refinery's supply in recent months, amounting to approximately 210,000 bpd, according to trade information. SOCAR declined to provide a statement.

Another Major Refiner Likewise Boosting Alternative Buys

The other leading Turkish refiner – Tupras – was also raising acquisitions of non-Russian grades of crude, as stated by multiple insiders. Tupras was furthermore likely to in the near future completely phase out Russian crude at a key facility of its primary major Turkish plants to continue petroleum exports to the EU without violating the EU’s upcoming restrictions. Tupras declined to comment to a inquiry for a statement.

Ukraine Deploys Elite Units to Pokrovsk

Kyiv has sent special forces to the heavily contested eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to repel an intense Russian assault involving thousands of troops, according to Kyiv’s top military leader. Pokrovsk, dubbed “the entrance to Donetsk,” lies on a major logistical line for the Ukrainian military and has been in Russia's sights for more than a year as Russia pushes to control the entire east Donetsk region.

Latest Updates in the City

At least 200 Moscow's troops had penetrated the city's defences, Kyiv reported recently, while analysts assessed that others were advancing on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped maneuver. In his evening address on Sunday, the Ukrainian president mentioned the fighting in the city and “successes in the destruction of the occupiers.”

Ukrainian President Announces Enhanced Air Defense System

The president, who has been urging his partners for additional air defences to counter Russia’s strikes, stated on this past Sunday that the country had strengthened its air-defence network with Berlin's assistance. “We've boosted the U.S.-made Patriot element of our Ukrainian air defence,” he said, referring to the sophisticated American defense systems. Without providing further details, the Ukraine's leader singled out Berlin and its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, for gratitude.

Russian Attacks Claim Innocents, Disrupt Electricity

Russian drones and missiles targeting Ukrainian territory took the lives of no fewer than six people, among them 2 minors, and disrupted power to tens of thousands of households, officials said on Sunday. Moscow's military struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, said the office of Ukraine’s chief prosecutor. The victims were two boys aged eleven and fourteen, stated the nation's human rights commissioner. The strikes disrupted electricity to the entire east Donetsk area as well as almost 58,000 homes in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their governors said. The Eastern army group confirmed some of its members were killed in one of the enemy attacks on the region.