Trump Affirms He Isn't Contemplating Supplying Long-Range Missiles to Ukraine.

Ex-President Trump stated this past Sunday that he was not actively considering providing Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. In response to a query by a reporter aboard Air Force One, he responded, “No, not at the moment.” Earlier reports had claimed the Pentagon told the administration that U.S. stockpiles of Tomahawks were sufficient to allow this transfer.

Ukrainian Military Actions Persist Without Weapon Lack

While Ukrainian forces has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to execute far-reaching attacks against Russian targets, it has still managed to conduct a effective operation using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and rockets against Russian armed and key targets, including oil depots and processing plants. This past Sunday, a Kyiv's drone attack hit the Tuapse oil port on the Black Sea, igniting a blaze and damaging two ships, as stated by Russian officials. Adjacent airfields in the region also had to be closed.

Turkish Oil Plants Turn to Alternative Crude Sources

Ankara's largest oil refining facilities are boosting purchases of alternative crude in response to the recent western sanctions on Moscow, according to industry insiders. The country is a significant buyer of oil from Russia, together with China and India, but processing companies are mirroring New Delhi's example in cutting back supplies.

STAR Plant Expands Crude Procurement

A major Turkey's refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), owned by Azerbaijani firm SOCAR, has lately acquired multiple shipments of crude from Iraqi, Kazakh, and other alternative producers for December delivery, according to insiders. This amount to approximately 77,000 to 129,000 barrels per day (bpd) of alternative crude, varying by shipment volume. In contrast, oil from Russia accounted for nearly all of the STAR refinery's supply in October and September, amounting to approximately 210,000 bpd, according to market data. SOCAR refused to comment.

Another Major Refiner Also Boosting Alternative Purchases

Another major Turkish refiner – Tupras refinery – was also increasing acquisitions of non-Russian grades of crude, according to multiple insiders. Tupras was also likely to soon entirely phase out imports from Russia at one of its primary main Turkish plants to maintain petroleum exports to the EU without breaching the European Union's incoming sanctions. The refiner did not respond to a request for comment.

Ukrainian Sends Elite Units to Pokrovsk

Kyiv has sent special forces to the heavily contested east city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to push back an intense Russian offensive comprising thousands of troops, as stated by Ukraine's top military leader. The city, dubbed “the entrance to Donetsk,” lies on a key logistical route for the Kyiv's army and has been in Moscow’s crosshairs for more than a year as Russia pushes to seize the whole eastern Donetsk region.

Recent Developments in the City

At least two hundred Russian soldiers had breached the city's defences, Kyiv said last week, while analysts concluded that additional forces were advancing on its outskirts in a encircling movement. In his nightly speech on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the fighting in the city and “results in the elimination of the invading forces.”

Ukrainian President Announces Strengthened Air Defence System

Zelenskyy, who has been urging his allies for more air defense systems to hold off Moscow's attacks, announced on Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air defense capabilities with Germany’s assistance. “We have strengthened the Patriot element of our national air defense,” Zelenskyy declared, referring to the sophisticated U.S.-made air-defence systems. Without offering additional information, the Ukrainian president singled out Germany and its chancellor, the German chancellor, for thanks.

Moscow's Attacks Claim Civilians, Cut Power

Moscow's drones and rockets targeting Ukraine killed no fewer than six individuals, among them two children, and disrupted electricity to thousands of residents, officials said on this past Sunday. Moscow's military struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the office of Ukraine’s chief prosecutor. The victims were male minors aged eleven and fourteen, stated the nation's ombudsman. The strikes disrupted electricity to the entire east Donetsk region as well as almost 58 thousand households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their governors announced. Ukraine’s Eastern military unit confirmed some of its members were killed in one of the enemy strikes on the region.