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FormerPresident Trump indicated on Sunday that he was not actively planning providing Ukrainian forces with advanced Tomahawk cruise missiles. When questioned by a reporter aboard Air Force One, he responded, “No, not currently.” Recent reports had indicated the Pentagon told the administration that American stockpiles of Tomahawks were sufficient to allow such a delivery.

Ukrainian Military Efforts Persist Without Missile Shortage

While Ukraine has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to carry out long-range strikes against Russian targets, it has still succeeded to conduct a successful campaign using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and rockets against Russian military and key targets, including oil depots and processing plants. On Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack struck the Tuapse oil port on the Black Sea, causing a fire and harming two ships, as stated by Russian authorities. Nearby airfields in the area also had to be closed.

Turkey Refineries Shift to Alternative Crude Supplies

Ankara's largest oil refining facilities are boosting procurement of alternative crude in response to the latest western sanctions on Russia, according to industry sources. Turkey is a major purchaser of Russian crude, together with Beijing and India, but refiners are following New Delhi's example in cutting back imports.

STAR Refinery Diversifies Oil Procurement

A major Turkish refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), owned by Azerbaijani firm SOCAR, has recently purchased four shipments of crude from Iraq, Kazakh, and other alternative producers for year-end delivery, according to insiders. This amount to approximately tens of thousands of barrels daily of alternative crude, varying by shipment volume. In contrast, oil from Russia accounted for nearly the entirety of the STAR refinery's supply in October and September, totaling about 210,000 barrels per day, according to market information. SOCAR refused to provide a statement.

Tupras Likewise Increasing Alternative Purchases

Another major Turkey's oil processor – Tupras – was also raising purchases of non-Russian types of crude, as stated by multiple sources. The company was also likely to in the near future completely phase out imports from Russia at a key facility of its two main domestic refineries to maintain petroleum shipments to Europe without breaching the European Union's upcoming sanctions. The refiner did not respond to a request for comment.

Ukrainian Deploys Elite Units to Pokrovsk

Ukraine has deployed elite troops to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to repel an fierce Moscow's assault comprising a large number of troops, according to Kyiv’s senior military leader. The city, called “the gateway to Donetsk,” is located on a key logistical route for the Ukrainian military and has been under Moscow’s crosshairs for over a year as Moscow pushes to control the whole east Donetsk region.

Latest Developments in Pokrovsk

No fewer than two hundred Moscow's soldiers had breached Pokrovsk’s defensive lines, Ukrainian officials reported recently, while military experts concluded that additional forces were advancing on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped maneuver. In his nightly speech on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the fighting in the city and “results in the destruction of the invading forces.”

Ukrainian President Announces Enhanced Air Defence Network

Zelenskyy, who has been urging his allies for additional air defense systems to counter Moscow's strikes, announced on Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air defense capabilities with Berlin's support. “We have strengthened the Patriot component of our national air defense,” he declared, mentioning the advanced American air-defence systems. Not providing additional information, the Ukrainian leader singled out Germany and its leader, Friedrich Merz, for thanks.

Russian Strikes Kill Civilians, Disrupt Electricity

Russian unmanned aircraft and rockets fired at Ukrainian territory took the lives of at least 6 people, among them two children, and cut power to thousands of residents, officials reported on this past Sunday. Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, said the representatives of Ukraine’s chief prosecutor. The children were male minors of ages eleven and fourteen, said the nation's human rights commissioner. The strikes disrupted electricity to the entire eastern Donetsk area as well as almost 58 thousand households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their governors said. The Vostok military unit confirmed some of its members were killed in one of the enemy strikes on Dnipropetrovsk.