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Ex-President Donald Trump stated on Sunday that he was not really planning providing Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. When questioned by a journalist on Air Force One, he responded, “No, not at the moment.” Recent accounts had claimed the Pentagon informed the White House that U.S. inventories of Tomahawks were ample to allow such a delivery.

Ukraine's Military Efforts Continue Without Missile Lack

While Ukrainian forces has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to execute long-range attacks against Russian targets, it has still succeeded to wage a effective operation using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and rockets against Russian military and key objectives, including fuel storage facilities and refineries. This past Sunday, a Ukrainian airstrike struck the Tuapse oil port on the Black Sea, igniting a fire and harming two ships, as stated by Russian authorities. Nearby airfields in the area also had to be closed.

Turkish Oil Plants Shift to Alternative Oil Supplies

Ankara's largest oil refineries are boosting procurement of non-Russian crude in response to the latest western restrictions on Russia, according to industry insiders. The country is a major purchaser of oil from Russia, along with Beijing and India, but processing companies are mirroring New Delhi's example in reducing supplies.

STAR Plant Diversifies Oil Procurement

One of the largest Turkey's refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), operated by Azeri company SOCAR, has lately purchased four cargoes of crude from Iraq, Kazakh, and additional alternative producers for year-end arrival, as per insiders. This amount to roughly 77,000 to 129,000 barrels daily of non-Russian supply, depending on shipment volume. In contrast, Russian crude made up nearly the entirety of the plant's crude intake in recent months, totaling about 210 thousand bpd, according to market data. SOCAR declined to comment.

Another Major Refiner Also Boosting Non-Russian Purchases

The other leading Turkish oil processor – Tupras – was also raising purchases of alternative types of crude, according to multiple sources. The company was also likely to soon completely phase out Russian crude at one of its two main domestic refineries to maintain petroleum exports to the EU without breaching the European Union's incoming sanctions. The refiner declined to comment to a request for comment.

Ukrainian Deploys Elite Units to Pokrovsk

Ukraine has deployed special forces to the embattled east city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an intense Moscow's assault comprising thousands of soldiers, according to Ukraine's senior military leader. The city, called “the gateway to Donetsk,” is located on a key supply line for the Ukrainian army and has been in Moscow’s sights for more than a twelve months as Moscow aims to control the entire eastern Donetsk area.

Latest Developments in Pokrovsk

No fewer than 200 Moscow's troops had breached the city's defensive lines, Ukrainian officials reported recently, while analysts assessed that others were closing in on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped maneuver. In his nightly speech on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the fighting in Pokrovsk and “successes in the destruction of the occupiers.”

Zelenskyy Reveals Strengthened Air Defense System

Zelenskyy, who has been urging his allies for more air defences to counter Russia’s attacks, stated on Sunday that Ukraine had strengthened its air defense network with Berlin's assistance. “We have strengthened the U.S.-made Patriot component of our Ukrainian air defence,” Zelenskyy declared, referring to the advanced U.S.-made defense systems. Without offering additional information, the Ukrainian president specifically thanked Germany and its leader, Friedrich Merz, for gratitude.

Moscow's Attacks Claim Innocents, Disrupt Power

Moscow's unmanned aircraft and missiles fired at Ukrainian territory killed no fewer than 6 individuals, including two children, and disrupted power to thousands of households, authorities said on Sunday. Russian forces struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, said the office of the country's chief prosecutor. The children were two boys of ages 11 and fourteen, said the nation's ombudsman. Russia’s attacks cut electricity to the whole east Donetsk region as well as nearly 58 thousand homes in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders announced. The Eastern army group confirmed a number of its members were killed in a particular of the enemy attacks on Dnipropetrovsk.