Donald Trump States He Is Not Considering Providing Tomahawk Cruise Missiles to Kyiv.

FormerPresident Trump indicated this past Sunday that he is not really planning providing Ukrainian forces with advanced Tomahawk cruise missiles. After being asked by a journalist aboard his plane, he responded, “No, not really.” Earlier reports had indicated the U.S. Department of Defense informed the administration that American inventories of Tomahawks were ample to enable such a transfer.

Ukrainian Defense Efforts Continue Despite Weapon Shortage

Although Ukraine has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to carry out far-reaching strikes against Russian targets, it has nonetheless succeeded to wage a successful operation using its own unmanned aerial vehicles and rockets against Moscow's armed and strategic objectives, such as fuel storage facilities and processing plants. On Sunday, a Kyiv's drone attack targeted the port facility on the Black Sea, causing a fire and harming two ships, according to Russian authorities. Adjacent airfields in the region also had to be closed.

Turkey Oil Plants Shift to Alternative Oil Sources

Ankara's largest oil refineries are boosting purchases of alternative crude in response to the latest western sanctions on Moscow, according to industry insiders. Turkey is a significant purchaser of oil from Russia, together with Beijing and New Delhi, but refiners are mirroring India's example in reducing supplies.

STAR Plant Expands Crude Sources

One of the largest Turkish refining plants, the STAR refinery, owned by Azeri company SOCAR, has recently purchased four cargoes of crude from Iraq, Kazakh, and other alternative producers for December arrival, according to insiders. These purchases represent roughly tens of thousands of barrels daily of non-Russian supply, depending on shipment volume. By comparison, Russian crude made up virtually the entirety of the plant's crude intake in October and September, amounting to about 210 thousand bpd, based on trade information. SOCAR refused to comment.

Another Major Refiner Likewise Boosting Non-Russian Buys

The other major Turkey's refiner – Tupras – was also increasing purchases of non-Russian grades of crude, as stated by two sources. The company was furthermore likely to in the near future entirely eliminate imports from Russia at a key facility of its two main Turkish plants to continue fuel shipments to the EU without violating the EU’s incoming sanctions. The refiner declined to comment to a inquiry for a statement.

Ukraine Deploys Special Forces to Eastern City

Ukraine has deployed special forces to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to push back an fierce Russian offensive involving thousands of troops, according to Ukraine's senior commander. Pokrovsk, dubbed “the gateway to Donetsk,” is located on a key logistical route for the Ukrainian military and has been under Moscow’s sights for over a year as Moscow aims to seize the whole east Donetsk region.

Latest Developments in Pokrovsk

At least two hundred Moscow's soldiers had breached Pokrovsk’s defensive lines, Ukrainian officials said recently, while analysts concluded that additional forces were closing in on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped maneuver. In his nightly address on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the combat in Pokrovsk and “successes in the destruction of the occupiers.”

Zelenskyy Reveals Strengthened Air Defense System

Zelenskyy, who has been pushing his partners for additional air defense systems to counter Moscow's strikes, announced on this past Sunday that Ukraine had strengthened its air-defence network with Germany’s support. “We have boosted the U.S.-made Patriot element of our national air defense,” he said, mentioning the advanced U.S.-made defense systems. Without offering further information, the Ukraine's president singled out Germany and its chancellor, the German chancellor, for gratitude.

Russian Attacks Kill Civilians, Disrupt Electricity

Moscow's drones and missiles targeting Ukrainian territory took the lives of at least six people, including two children, and cut power to thousands of households, officials reported on Sunday. Moscow's military struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, said the representatives of Ukraine’s prosecutor general. The children were male minors aged eleven and 14, stated Ukraine’s human rights commissioner. Russia’s attacks cut electricity to the whole east Donetsk area as well as nearly 58,000 homes in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. The Vostok army group said some of its personnel were killed in one of the enemy strikes on Dnipropetrovsk.