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FormerPresident Trump remarked on Sunday that he was not really contemplating supplying Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. After being asked by a journalist aboard Air Force One, he answered, “No, not at the moment.” Earlier accounts had suggested the Pentagon told the administration that U.S. stockpiles of Tomahawks were sufficient to enable such a delivery.

Ukrainian Defense Actions Persist Without Weapon Lack

Although Ukraine has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to conduct far-reaching strikes against Russia, it has still managed to conduct a effective operation using its domestically-produced drones and missiles against Moscow's military and strategic objectives, including fuel storage facilities and refineries. This past Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack hit the port facility on the Black Sea, igniting a blaze and damaging two ships, as stated by Moscow officials. Adjacent Russian airports in the region also had to be shut down.

Turkish Oil Plants Shift to Alternative Oil Sources

Turkey's biggest oil refining facilities are boosting procurement of non-Russian crude in reaction to the recent international sanctions on Russia, according to industry sources. The country is a major purchaser of oil from Russia, together with China and India, but refiners are mirroring New Delhi's lead in reducing supplies.

SOCAR Turkey Plant Diversifies Crude Procurement

A major Turkish refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), operated by Azeri firm SOCAR, has recently purchased multiple cargoes of crude from Iraqi, Kazakhstan, and additional alternative suppliers for December delivery, according to insiders. These purchases represent approximately tens of thousands of barrels daily of non-Russian crude, depending on shipment volume. By comparison, Russian crude made up nearly the entirety of the STAR refinery's supply in October and September, totaling approximately 210 thousand bpd, according to trade information. SOCAR declined to comment.

Another Major Refiner Likewise Boosting Non-Russian Buys

Another major Turkey's refiner – Tupras refinery – was additionally raising acquisitions of alternative grades of crude, according to two sources. Tupras was furthermore expected to soon completely phase out Russian crude at one of its primary main domestic refineries to continue petroleum exports to the EU without breaching the EU’s incoming sanctions. The refiner declined to comment to a request for a statement.

Ukraine Deploys Special Forces to Pokrovsk

Ukraine has sent elite troops to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an intense Russian offensive involving a large number of troops, according to Ukraine's senior commander. The city, called “the gateway to Donetsk,” lies on a major logistical line for the Ukrainian military and has been under Moscow’s crosshairs for more than a year as Russia aims to seize the entire east Donetsk region.

Latest Developments in Pokrovsk

At least two hundred Moscow's troops had breached the city's defensive lines, Ukrainian officials reported last week, while analysts concluded that additional forces were closing in on its outskirts in a encircling maneuver. In his nightly speech on this past Sunday, the Ukrainian president spoke of the fighting in Pokrovsk and “successes in the elimination of the occupiers.”

Ukrainian President Announces Strengthened Air Defence Network

Zelenskyy, who has been pushing his partners for additional air defense systems to hold off Moscow's strikes, announced on this past Sunday that the country had strengthened its air defense network with Berlin's support. “We've strengthened the Patriot element of our Ukrainian air defence,” he declared, mentioning the advanced U.S.-made defense systems. Without providing further information, the Ukraine's leader specifically thanked Germany and its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, for thanks.

Moscow's Strikes Kill Civilians, Cut Power

Russian drones and missiles targeting Ukrainian territory killed no fewer than six individuals, including two children, and disrupted electricity to thousands of households, authorities reported on this past Sunday. Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the representatives of Ukraine’s chief prosecutor. The children were two boys aged eleven and fourteen, said the nation's human rights commissioner. Russia’s strikes cut power to the whole eastern Donetsk area as well as nearly 58,000 homes in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. Ukraine’s Eastern military unit said a number of its members were killed in one of the enemy attacks on the region.