Donald Trump Says He Is Not Contemplating Supplying Tomahawk Cruise Missiles to Kyiv.

FormerPresident Donald Trump indicated this past Sunday that he was not seriously contemplating providing Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk missiles. After being asked by a journalist aboard his plane, he answered, “No, not at the moment.” Earlier reports had suggested the U.S. Department of Defense informed the White House that U.S. inventories of Tomahawks were adequate to allow this transfer.

Ukrainian Defense Actions Continue Without Missile Lack

While Ukrainian forces has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to execute long-range strikes against Russian targets, it has nonetheless managed to conduct a successful operation using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and rockets against Russian armed and key objectives, such as oil depots and processing plants. On Sunday, a Ukrainian airstrike struck the Tuapse oil port on the coast, igniting a blaze and harming two ships, as stated by Russian officials. Adjacent airfields in the area also had to be closed.

Turkey Refineries Shift to Non-Russian Oil Supplies

Turkey's largest oil refining facilities are increasing purchases of non-Russian crude in response to the latest western restrictions on Moscow, as reported by industry insiders. The country is a major purchaser of oil from Russia, together with Beijing and India, but refiners are mirroring India's example in reducing imports.

STAR Plant Expands Crude Sources

One of the largest Turkey's refining plants, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), operated by Azeri company SOCAR, has recently acquired four cargoes of crude from Iraq, Kazakhstan, and additional alternative suppliers for December arrival, according to sources. This amount to roughly 77,000 to 129,000 barrels daily of alternative supply, varying by shipment volume. By comparison, oil from Russia made up nearly the entirety of the plant's supply in recent months, totaling about 210,000 bpd, based on market information. SOCAR declined to provide a statement.

Another Major Refiner Likewise Increasing Non-Russian Buys

Another major Turkey's refiner – Tupras refinery – was additionally raising purchases of alternative grades of crude, according to two sources. Tupras was also likely to soon entirely phase out imports from Russia at one of its two major Turkish plants to maintain petroleum exports to the EU without breaching the EU’s incoming sanctions. The refiner declined to comment to a inquiry for a statement.

Ukrainian Deploys Special Forces to Pokrovsk

Kyiv has deployed special forces to the heavily contested east city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an intense Moscow's offensive involving thousands of soldiers, according to Ukraine's top military leader. Pokrovsk, called “the gateway to Donetsk,” lies on a key logistical route for the Ukrainian military and has been under Moscow’s sights for over a twelve months as Moscow pushes to control the entire eastern Donetsk region.

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No fewer than two hundred Moscow's troops had breached Pokrovsk’s defences, Kyiv reported recently, while military experts assessed that others were advancing on its outskirts in a encircling maneuver. In his nightly speech on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the fighting in Pokrovsk and “successes in the destruction of the invading forces.”

Zelenskyy Announces Enhanced Air Defence Network

The president, who has been urging his partners for more air defences to hold off Moscow's attacks, announced on this past Sunday that the country had reinforced its air-defence capabilities with Berlin's support. “We have strengthened the Patriot element of our Ukrainian air defence,” Zelenskyy said, referring to the sophisticated American defense systems. Not offering additional details, the Ukrainian leader specifically thanked Germany and its chancellor, the German chancellor, for gratitude.

Moscow's Strikes Claim Innocents, Cut Power

Russian unmanned aircraft and rockets fired at Ukrainian territory killed at least six individuals, including two minors, and disrupted power to thousands of households, authorities reported on Sunday. Moscow's military struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, said the representatives of the country's chief prosecutor. The children were male minors of ages 11 and 14, said Ukraine’s ombudsman. Russia’s strikes disrupted electricity to the whole eastern Donetsk area as well as nearly 58 thousand households in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their governors said. Ukraine’s Eastern military unit confirmed a number of its members were killed in one of the Russian attacks on Dnipropetrovsk.