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Ex-President Donald Trump stated this past Sunday that he is not seriously contemplating providing Ukrainian forces with advanced Tomahawk missiles. After being asked by a journalist on his plane, he responded, “No, not at the moment.” Earlier accounts had claimed the U.S. Department of Defense informed the administration that American inventories of Tomahawks were sufficient to allow such a delivery.

Ukrainian Defense Actions Continue Without Weapon Lack

Although Ukrainian forces has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to execute far-reaching strikes against Russia, it has still succeeded to wage a effective operation using its own unmanned aerial vehicles and rockets against Russian military and key objectives, such as fuel storage facilities and processing plants. On Sunday, a Kyiv's drone attack hit the port facility on the Black Sea, igniting a fire and harming two ships, as stated by Russian authorities. Adjacent Russian airports in the region also had to be shut down.

Turkish Refineries Shift to Non-Russian Crude Sources

Turkey's biggest oil refining facilities are boosting purchases of alternative crude in response to the recent western restrictions on Moscow, according to industry insiders. The country is a major purchaser of oil from Russia, along with Beijing and New Delhi, but refiners are mirroring New Delhi's example in cutting back imports.

SOCAR Turkey Plant Expands Crude Sources

One of the largest Turkey's refining plants, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), operated by Azeri company SOCAR, has recently purchased multiple cargoes of crude from Iraq, Kazakh, and other non-Russian producers for year-end delivery, as per insiders. These purchases amount to approximately tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian crude, depending on cargo size. By comparison, Russian crude made up virtually the entirety of the STAR refinery's supply in recent months, amounting to approximately 210,000 bpd, based on trade information. SOCAR declined to provide a statement.

Another Major Refiner Likewise Increasing Alternative Buys

The other leading Turkish oil processor – Tupras refinery – was also raising purchases of alternative grades of crude, according to multiple sources. The company was also expected to soon completely eliminate imports from Russia at a key facility of its primary main Turkish refineries to maintain fuel exports to Europe without breaching the EU’s incoming sanctions. The refiner declined to comment to a inquiry for comment.

Ukraine Sends Elite Units to Eastern City

Kyiv has sent special forces to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to push back an fierce Russian assault involving a large number of soldiers, as stated by Ukraine's top commander. Pokrovsk, dubbed “the gateway to Donetsk,” lies on a major supply route for the Kyiv's army and has been in Moscow’s crosshairs for more than a twelve months as Moscow pushes to seize the whole eastern Donetsk area.

Latest Updates in the City

At least two hundred Russian troops had breached the city's defences, Kyiv said recently, while analysts assessed that additional forces were advancing on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped movement. In his nightly address on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the combat in Pokrovsk and “successes in the destruction of the occupiers.”

Zelenskyy Reveals Strengthened Air Defense Network

The president, who has been pushing his allies for additional air defences to hold off Russia’s attacks, stated on Sunday that the country had strengthened its air defense capabilities with Germany’s assistance. “We've boosted the U.S.-made Patriot component of our national air defence,” he declared, referring to the sophisticated American air-defence systems. Not providing further details, the Ukrainian president singled out Germany and its chancellor, the German chancellor, for gratitude.

Moscow's Attacks Kill Civilians, Cut Power

Russian drones and rockets targeting Ukraine killed no fewer than six individuals, including 2 children, and disrupted electricity to tens of thousands of residents, authorities reported on this past Sunday. Moscow's military attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the office of Ukraine’s prosecutor general. The victims were two boys of ages 11 and fourteen, said Ukraine’s ombudsman. Russia’s strikes cut power to the whole east Donetsk region as well as almost 58 thousand homes in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their governors announced. The Vostok army group confirmed some of its members were killed in a particular of the enemy strikes on Dnipropetrovsk.