Trump Affirms He Is Not Considering Providing Long-Range Missiles to Ukraine.

Ex-President Trump remarked on Sunday that he is not actively considering sending Ukraine with advanced Tomahawk missiles. When questioned by a journalist on his plane, he responded, “No, not really.” Recent reports had suggested the U.S. Department of Defense informed the White House that American inventories of Tomahawks were sufficient to enable such a transfer.

Ukrainian Military Actions Persist Without Weapon Lack

While Ukrainian forces has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to execute long-range strikes against Russian targets, it has nonetheless managed to wage a successful operation using its own drones and rockets against Moscow's military and key objectives, such as fuel storage facilities and refineries. On Sunday, a Kyiv's airstrike hit the Tuapse oil port on the Black Sea, igniting a fire and damaging two vessels, according to Russian officials. Adjacent Russian airports in the area also had to be shut down.

Turkey Refineries Turn to Alternative Crude Supplies

Ankara's largest oil refining facilities are increasing purchases of alternative crude in reaction to the recent international sanctions on Moscow, according to industry insiders. The country is a major purchaser of Russian crude, together with China and India, but refiners are following New Delhi's lead in reducing supplies.

STAR Refinery Diversifies Crude Sources

A major Turkish refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), operated by Azerbaijani company SOCAR, has recently acquired multiple shipments of crude from Iraq, Kazakhstan, and other non-Russian suppliers for year-end delivery, according to insiders. This amount to approximately tens of thousands of barrels daily of non-Russian supply, varying by cargo size. In contrast, oil from Russia made up virtually the entirety of the STAR refinery's supply in October and September, totaling approximately 210,000 bpd, according to market data. SOCAR refused to provide a statement.

Another Major Refiner Also Increasing Non-Russian Buys

The other leading Turkey's refiner – Tupras – was also increasing acquisitions of non-Russian types of crude, according to two insiders. Tupras was furthermore expected to in the near future entirely phase out Russian crude at a key facility of its primary major Turkish plants to continue petroleum shipments to the EU without breaching the EU’s incoming sanctions. The refiner declined to comment to a inquiry for comment.

Ukrainian Sends Elite Units to Eastern City

Kyiv has sent elite troops to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to repel an fierce Russian offensive involving a large number of soldiers, as stated by Kyiv’s senior commander. Pokrovsk, called “the entrance to Donetsk,” is located on a key supply line for the Ukrainian army and has been under Russia's crosshairs for over a twelve months as Moscow pushes to seize the entire eastern Donetsk region.

Recent Developments in the City

At least two hundred Moscow's soldiers had penetrated the city's defences, Ukrainian officials said last week, while analysts concluded that others were advancing on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped maneuver. In his evening speech on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the fighting in the city and “results in the destruction of the invading forces.”

Ukrainian President Announces Strengthened Air Defence Network

The president, who has been urging his partners for more air defense systems to counter Moscow's attacks, announced on this past Sunday that Ukraine had strengthened its air defense capabilities with Germany’s assistance. “We have strengthened the Patriot component of our national air defence,” he declared, mentioning the advanced American defense systems. Not providing additional details, the Ukrainian president specifically thanked Berlin and its chancellor, the German chancellor, for gratitude.

Russian Attacks Kill Civilians, Disrupt Power

Moscow's unmanned aircraft and rockets fired at Ukraine killed no fewer than 6 individuals, among them two children, and disrupted electricity to thousands of residents, officials reported on Sunday. Russian forces struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, said the representatives of the country's chief prosecutor. The victims were two boys aged 11 and fourteen, said Ukraine’s ombudsman. The attacks cut power to the whole east Donetsk region as well as almost 58,000 households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their governors said. The Vostok military unit said a number of its personnel were killed in one of the enemy attacks on Dnipropetrovsk.