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FormerPresident Donald Trump remarked on Sunday that he was not actively contemplating providing Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles. After being asked by a journalist on his plane, he responded, “No, not currently.” Earlier reports had indicated the U.S. Department of Defense informed the administration that American inventories of Tomahawks were adequate to allow this transfer.

Ukrainian Military Efforts Continue Without Missile Shortage

Although Ukraine has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to carry out long-range strikes against Russia, it has still succeeded to conduct a successful campaign using its own drones and missiles against Moscow's armed and key objectives, including fuel storage facilities and processing plants. On Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack targeted the Tuapse oil port on the Black Sea, causing a blaze and damaging two vessels, according to Russian officials. Adjacent airfields in the region also had to be shut down.

Turkey Oil Plants Turn to Non-Russian Oil Supplies

Ankara's biggest oil refineries are boosting purchases of non-Russian crude in reaction to the latest international sanctions on Russia, according to market insiders. The country is a significant purchaser of Russian crude, together with Beijing and New Delhi, but processing companies are mirroring India's lead in reducing imports.

STAR Refinery Expands Oil Sources

A major Turkish refining plants, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), operated by Azerbaijani company SOCAR, has lately acquired multiple cargoes of crude from Iraqi, Kazakhstan, and additional alternative producers for year-end delivery, according to sources. These purchases represent approximately tens of thousands of barrels daily of non-Russian supply, depending on cargo size. By comparison, oil from Russia made up virtually the entirety of the STAR refinery's supply in recent months, amounting to approximately 210,000 bpd, based on market information. SOCAR refused to comment.

Another Major Refiner Likewise Increasing Alternative Purchases

Another leading Turkey's oil processor – Tupras – was also increasing purchases of alternative types of crude, as stated by two sources. Tupras was also likely to soon completely eliminate Russian crude at one of its two main domestic plants to continue fuel shipments to the EU without violating the EU’s upcoming sanctions. Tupras did not respond to a request for comment.

Ukraine Sends Elite Units to Pokrovsk

Ukraine has deployed special forces to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an intense Moscow's assault involving a large number of troops, according to Kyiv’s top military leader. The city, called “the entrance to Donetsk,” is located on a key logistical line for the Ukrainian military and has been in Moscow’s sights for more than a year as Russia aims to seize the whole eastern Donetsk region.

Recent Developments in the City

No fewer than 200 Moscow's troops had breached the city's defences, Ukrainian officials reported last week, while analysts concluded that additional forces were closing in on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped movement. In his nightly speech on this past Sunday, the Ukrainian president spoke of the fighting in the city and “successes in the elimination of the occupiers.”

Zelenskyy Announces Enhanced Air Defence Network

The president, who has been pushing his partners for more air defences to hold off Moscow's attacks, stated on Sunday that the country had strengthened its air-defence capabilities with Berlin's support. “We have boosted the Patriot element of our Ukrainian air defense,” Zelenskyy declared, referring to the sophisticated American defense systems. Not providing further information, the Ukrainian president singled out Berlin and its chancellor, the German chancellor, for gratitude.

Moscow's Attacks Claim Innocents, Disrupt Power

Moscow's unmanned aircraft and rockets targeting Ukrainian territory took the lives of no fewer than 6 individuals, among them 2 children, and disrupted electricity to tens of thousands of residents, officials reported on this past Sunday. Russian forces struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the representatives of Ukraine’s prosecutor general. The children were male minors of ages eleven and 14, said Ukraine’s ombudsman. Russia’s attacks cut electricity to the entire eastern Donetsk area as well as nearly 58,000 homes in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their governors said. Ukraine’s Eastern military unit said a number of its members were killed in one of the Russian strikes on the region.