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FormerPresident Donald Trump remarked this past Sunday that he is not actively contemplating supplying Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. After being asked by a journalist aboard his plane, he answered, “No, not at the moment.” Recent accounts had suggested the Pentagon informed the administration that American stockpiles of Tomahawks were adequate to allow such a transfer.

Ukrainian Defense Efforts Continue Without Missile Shortage

While Ukrainian forces has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to conduct far-reaching strikes against Russian targets, it has nonetheless succeeded to conduct a effective operation using its own unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles against Russian military and strategic targets, including fuel storage facilities and processing plants. This past Sunday, a Kyiv's drone attack struck the port facility on the coast, causing a blaze and harming two vessels, as stated by Russian officials. Nearby airfields in the area also had to be closed.

Turkey Refineries Shift to Alternative Crude Supplies

Turkey's biggest oil refining facilities are boosting procurement of alternative crude in response to the latest western sanctions on Russia, according to market insiders. Turkey is a significant purchaser of Russian crude, together with Beijing and New Delhi, but processing companies are mirroring New Delhi's example in reducing imports.

STAR Plant Diversifies Oil Sources

A major Turkey's refining plants, the STAR refinery, operated by Azerbaijani company SOCAR, has recently acquired multiple cargoes of crude from Iraq, Kazakh, and other alternative suppliers for year-end delivery, according to insiders. These purchases represent approximately 77,000 to 129,000 barrels daily of alternative supply, depending on cargo size. By comparison, oil from Russia made up nearly all of the STAR refinery's crude intake in recent months, totaling about 210,000 barrels per day, based on market information. SOCAR refused to comment.

Another Major Refiner Likewise Boosting Alternative Purchases

The other major Turkish refiner – Tupras refinery – was additionally increasing acquisitions of non-Russian types of crude, as stated by multiple sources. Tupras was furthermore expected to soon entirely phase out Russian crude at a key facility of its primary main domestic plants to continue petroleum exports to Europe without violating the European Union's incoming restrictions. The refiner declined to comment to a request for comment.

Ukrainian Sends Elite Units to Pokrovsk

Kyiv has sent elite troops to the embattled east city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to push back an fierce Russian offensive comprising thousands of troops, as stated by Ukraine's senior military leader. Pokrovsk, dubbed “the gateway to Donetsk,” lies on a major logistical line for the Kyiv's military and has been under Russia's crosshairs for over a year as Russia pushes to seize the whole east Donetsk region.

Latest Updates in the City

At least two hundred Russian soldiers had penetrated Pokrovsk’s defensive lines, Kyiv reported recently, while military experts assessed that others were closing in on its outskirts in a encircling maneuver. In his nightly speech on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the combat in the city and “results in the elimination of the invading forces.”

Zelenskyy Reveals Enhanced Air Defence System

The president, who has been pushing his allies for more air defense systems to counter Moscow's attacks, stated on this past Sunday that the country had strengthened its air defense network with Germany’s assistance. “We have boosted the Patriot element of our national air defence,” Zelenskyy said, referring to the advanced American defense systems. Not providing additional details, the Ukrainian leader specifically thanked Germany and its leader, Friedrich Merz, for thanks.

Moscow's Strikes Claim Civilians, Cut Electricity

Russian drones and rockets fired at Ukrainian territory killed no fewer than six people, including two children, and cut power to thousands of households, officials reported on Sunday. Moscow's military attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the representatives of the country's prosecutor general. The children were male minors of ages 11 and fourteen, said Ukraine’s ombudsman. The attacks disrupted electricity to the whole eastern Donetsk region as well as almost 58 thousand households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their governors announced. The Vostok military unit confirmed a number of its personnel were killed in one of the enemy attacks on the region.