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FormerPresident Trump remarked on Sunday that he is not really considering sending Ukraine with advanced Tomahawk missiles. In response to a query by a journalist on his plane, he answered, “No, not really.” Recent reports had indicated the U.S. Department of Defense informed the administration that U.S. inventories of Tomahawks were adequate to enable such a delivery.

Ukrainian Defense Efforts Persist Without Weapon Shortage

While Ukrainian forces has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to execute far-reaching attacks against Russia, it has nonetheless managed to wage a successful campaign using its domestically-produced drones and missiles against Russian military and key objectives, such as oil depots and processing plants. On Sunday, a Kyiv's drone attack struck the Tuapse oil port on the coast, igniting a blaze and damaging two ships, as stated by Moscow authorities. Nearby Russian airports in the region also had to be closed.

Turkish Oil Plants Turn to Non-Russian Crude Supplies

Turkey's biggest oil refineries are boosting procurement of non-Russian crude in reaction to the latest international restrictions on Moscow, according to industry sources. Turkey is a major buyer of Russian crude, together with Beijing and India, but refiners are following India's example in cutting back imports.

STAR Refinery Expands Oil Procurement

A major Turkish refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), operated by Azeri firm SOCAR, has lately purchased four cargoes of crude from Iraqi, Kazakh, and additional non-Russian suppliers for December arrival, according to sources. These purchases amount to approximately 77,000 to 129,000 barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian supply, varying by cargo size. In contrast, oil from Russia made up virtually the entirety of the plant's crude intake in recent months, amounting to about 210,000 barrels per day, according to trade data. SOCAR refused to provide a statement.

Another Major Refiner Also Boosting Alternative Purchases

Another major Turkey's refiner – Tupras – was additionally raising acquisitions of non-Russian grades of crude, as stated by multiple insiders. The company was furthermore likely to soon entirely phase out Russian crude at one of its primary main domestic plants to continue petroleum shipments to Europe without breaching the European Union's incoming sanctions. The refiner did not respond to a inquiry for comment.

Ukrainian Sends Special Forces to Pokrovsk

Ukraine has sent elite troops to the heavily contested east city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to repel an intense Moscow's offensive involving thousands of soldiers, according to Kyiv’s top commander. Pokrovsk, dubbed “the entrance to Donetsk,” lies on a key logistical line for the Ukrainian army and has been in Russia's crosshairs for more than a twelve months as Moscow pushes to control the whole east Donetsk area.

Recent Developments in the City

At least two hundred Russian troops had breached Pokrovsk’s defences, Kyiv said recently, while analysts assessed that additional forces were advancing on its outskirts in a encircling movement. In his evening speech on Sunday, the Ukrainian president mentioned the fighting in the city and “successes in the elimination of the occupiers.”

Ukrainian President Announces Strengthened Air Defence Network

The president, who has been pushing his partners for additional air defense systems to hold off Russia’s strikes, stated on this past Sunday that the country had strengthened its air defense capabilities with Berlin's support. “We've strengthened the U.S.-made Patriot element of our national air defence,” he declared, mentioning the advanced U.S.-made defense systems. Without offering additional information, the Ukraine's leader singled out Berlin and its leader, Friedrich Merz, for thanks.

Russian Strikes Claim Innocents, Disrupt Electricity

Moscow's drones and missiles targeting Ukraine killed no fewer than six people, including two minors, and disrupted electricity to tens of thousands of residents, officials reported on this past Sunday. Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, said the representatives of Ukraine’s prosecutor general. The victims were two boys aged 11 and fourteen, stated the nation's human rights commissioner. Russia’s strikes cut power to the whole eastern Donetsk region as well as nearly 58,000 households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. The Eastern military unit confirmed a number of its members were killed in one of the Russian strikes on Dnipropetrovsk.