Donald Trump Says He Isn't Planning Providing Tomahawk Missiles to Ukraine.

FormerPresident Trump remarked on Sunday that he was not seriously considering providing Ukraine with advanced Tomahawk cruise missiles. In response to a query by a reporter on his plane, he replied, “No, not at the moment.” Earlier reports had claimed the Pentagon told the White House that U.S. stockpiles of Tomahawks were sufficient to enable such a delivery.

Ukrainian Defense Actions Persist Despite Weapon Shortage

While Ukrainian forces has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to carry out long-range strikes against Russian targets, it has nonetheless succeeded to wage a effective campaign using its own unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles against Russian armed and key targets, including fuel storage facilities and processing plants. This past Sunday, a Kyiv's drone attack hit the port facility on the Black Sea, causing a blaze and damaging two vessels, as stated by Moscow authorities. Nearby airfields in the region also had to be shut down.

Turkish Refineries Shift to Alternative Crude Sources

Ankara's biggest oil refineries are boosting purchases of non-Russian crude in reaction to the latest international sanctions on Russia, according to industry insiders. Turkey is a major purchaser of Russian crude, along with China and India, but processing companies are mirroring India's lead in cutting back imports.

SOCAR Turkey Refinery Expands Crude Procurement

A major Turkey's refining plants, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), operated by Azerbaijani company SOCAR, has recently purchased four shipments of crude from Iraqi, Kazakh, and other non-Russian suppliers for December delivery, according to insiders. This represent approximately 77,000 to 129,000 barrels daily of alternative crude, depending on cargo size. By comparison, oil from Russia made up virtually the entirety of the STAR refinery's crude intake in October and September, amounting to approximately 210,000 bpd, based on trade data. SOCAR refused to provide a statement.

Another Major Refiner Likewise Boosting Alternative Purchases

The other major Turkish oil processor – Tupras – was additionally raising purchases of alternative grades of crude, according to two sources. The company was furthermore likely to in the near future completely phase out imports from Russia at a key facility of its two major Turkish plants to maintain petroleum shipments to Europe without violating the EU’s upcoming sanctions. Tupras declined to comment to a request for a statement.

Ukraine Deploys Special Forces to Eastern City

Ukraine has deployed special forces to the heavily contested east city of Pokrovsk in an effort to repel an intense Russian offensive comprising a large number of troops, according to Ukraine's senior commander. Pokrovsk, called “the entrance to Donetsk,” is located on a major supply route for the Kyiv's military and has been in Moscow’s sights for over a twelve months as Russia aims to control the entire east Donetsk area.

Latest Developments in Pokrovsk

No fewer than 200 Russian troops had breached Pokrovsk’s defences, Kyiv said recently, while analysts concluded that additional forces were advancing on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped movement. In his nightly speech on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the fighting in the city and “results in the elimination of the occupiers.”

Zelenskyy Reveals Enhanced Air Defense Network

The president, who has been urging his allies for additional air defences to hold off Moscow's strikes, announced on Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air defense network with Berlin's support. “We have strengthened the U.S.-made Patriot element of our Ukrainian air defense,” he declared, referring to the advanced U.S.-made defense systems. Without offering further information, the Ukraine's president singled out Berlin and its leader, the German chancellor, for gratitude.

Moscow's Attacks Kill Civilians, Disrupt Electricity

Moscow's drones and rockets targeting Ukraine took the lives of at least 6 people, among them 2 minors, and disrupted power to tens of thousands of households, authorities reported on this past Sunday. Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the office of Ukraine’s prosecutor general. The victims were male minors of ages eleven and 14, stated the nation's human rights commissioner. Russia’s attacks disrupted power to the entire eastern Donetsk region as well as nearly 58 thousand households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their governors announced. The Vostok army group said a number of its personnel were killed in a particular of the enemy strikes on Dnipropetrovsk.