Trump States He Isn't Planning Providing Long-Range Cruise Missiles to Kyiv.

FormerPresident Donald Trump remarked this past Sunday that he was not seriously contemplating providing Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. After being asked by a reporter on his plane, he answered, “No, not really.” Recent reports had claimed the Pentagon told the White House that U.S. stockpiles of Tomahawks were ample to enable such a transfer.

Ukraine's Defense Efforts Persist Despite Weapon Lack

While Ukraine has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to carry out far-reaching strikes against Russia, it has still managed to wage a effective campaign using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and rockets against Moscow's military and strategic objectives, such as oil depots and refineries. On Sunday, a Kyiv's drone attack targeted the port facility on the coast, causing a fire and damaging two ships, as stated by Russian authorities. Adjacent Russian airports in the region also had to be shut down.

Turkey Oil Plants Turn to Alternative Oil Supplies

Ankara's biggest oil refineries are increasing purchases of non-Russian crude in response to the recent western restrictions on Moscow, according to market insiders. Turkey is a major purchaser of Russian crude, along with China and India, but processing companies are mirroring New Delhi's lead in cutting back supplies.

STAR Refinery Diversifies Crude Sources

One of the largest Turkish refineries, the STAR refinery, owned by Azeri firm SOCAR, has recently acquired multiple shipments of crude from Iraq, Kazakhstan, and additional alternative suppliers for December arrival, as per insiders. These purchases amount to roughly 77,000 to 129,000 barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian supply, varying by cargo size. In contrast, Russian crude accounted for nearly all of the STAR refinery's crude intake in recent months, amounting to approximately 210 thousand barrels per day, according to trade information. SOCAR declined to comment.

Tupras Also Boosting Non-Russian Buys

Another major Turkey's refiner – Tupras refinery – was also increasing purchases of alternative grades of crude, according to multiple insiders. The company was also likely to in the near future entirely eliminate imports from Russia at a key facility of its primary main Turkish refineries to maintain fuel exports to the EU without violating the EU’s incoming restrictions. The refiner declined to comment to a inquiry for a statement.

Ukraine Sends Elite Units to Pokrovsk

Kyiv has deployed special forces to the heavily contested eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to repel an intense Moscow's assault comprising thousands of soldiers, as stated by Ukraine's top military leader. Pokrovsk, dubbed “the entrance to Donetsk,” lies on a key logistical route for the Kyiv's military and has been under Russia's sights for over a twelve months as Russia aims to control the whole eastern Donetsk area.

Latest Developments in Pokrovsk

At least 200 Moscow's soldiers had penetrated Pokrovsk’s defensive lines, Kyiv reported recently, while military experts concluded that additional forces were closing in on its outskirts in a encircling maneuver. In his evening speech on Sunday, the Ukrainian president spoke of the combat in Pokrovsk and “successes in the elimination of the occupiers.”

Zelenskyy Announces Enhanced Air Defense Network

The president, who has been pushing his allies for additional air defences to hold off Moscow's strikes, announced on Sunday that the country had reinforced its air defense capabilities with Berlin's assistance. “We have boosted the Patriot component of our national air defence,” Zelenskyy declared, referring to the sophisticated American air-defence systems. Without offering additional information, the Ukraine's leader specifically thanked Berlin and its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, for gratitude.

Moscow's Attacks Claim Innocents, Disrupt Electricity

Russian drones and missiles targeting Ukraine took the lives of no fewer than six individuals, among them 2 minors, and disrupted electricity to tens of thousands of households, authorities said on Sunday. Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the representatives of the country's prosecutor general. The victims were two boys of ages eleven and fourteen, said the nation's ombudsman. The strikes cut power to the entire eastern Donetsk region as well as almost 58,000 homes in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their governors said. The Eastern army group said a number of its members were killed in one of the Russian attacks on Dnipropetrovsk.