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Ex-President Donald Trump indicated on Sunday that he is not actively contemplating supplying Ukraine with advanced Tomahawk cruise missiles. After being asked by a journalist aboard Air Force One, he replied, “No, not at the moment.” Earlier reports had claimed the U.S. Department of Defense told the administration that American stockpiles of Tomahawks were sufficient to allow this transfer.

Ukrainian Military Efforts Persist Without Weapon Lack

Although Ukraine has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to execute far-reaching strikes against Russian targets, it has nonetheless managed to conduct a successful campaign using its own drones and rockets against Russian armed and strategic objectives, such as fuel storage facilities and processing plants. This past Sunday, a Kyiv's airstrike struck the port facility on the coast, igniting a fire and harming two ships, as stated by Moscow authorities. Nearby airfields in the area also had to be shut down.

Turkey Refineries Turn to Alternative Oil Sources

Turkey's largest oil refining facilities are increasing procurement of alternative crude in reaction to the latest western restrictions on Russia, according to market insiders. The country is a major buyer of oil from Russia, along with Beijing and India, but refiners are following India's lead in cutting back imports.

STAR Plant Diversifies Oil Procurement

A major Turkey's refining plants, the STAR refinery, owned by Azerbaijani firm SOCAR, has lately purchased four shipments of crude from Iraq, Kazakh, and other non-Russian producers for year-end arrival, according to sources. These purchases amount to approximately tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian supply, varying by shipment volume. By comparison, Russian crude accounted for virtually all of the STAR refinery's supply in recent months, totaling approximately 210,000 barrels per day, based on trade data. SOCAR refused to comment.

Another Major Refiner Also Boosting Non-Russian Purchases

The other leading Turkish refiner – Tupras refinery – was additionally increasing acquisitions of non-Russian grades of crude, as stated by two sources. The company was furthermore expected to soon entirely eliminate Russian crude at a key facility of its primary main Turkish plants to maintain petroleum exports to Europe without breaching the EU’s incoming sanctions. The refiner did not respond to a inquiry for a statement.

Ukraine Sends Special Forces to Pokrovsk

Ukraine has sent special forces to the heavily contested eastern city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to repel an intense Russian offensive comprising a large number of troops, according to Ukraine's senior commander. Pokrovsk, dubbed “the entrance to Donetsk,” lies on a major logistical route for the Ukrainian army and has been under Moscow’s crosshairs for over a year as Russia pushes to seize the entire eastern Donetsk area.

Latest Updates in Pokrovsk

At least 200 Russian soldiers had penetrated Pokrovsk’s defences, Ukrainian officials said recently, while analysts concluded that others were advancing on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped movement. In his evening speech on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the combat in Pokrovsk and “results in the elimination of the occupiers.”

Ukrainian President Announces Strengthened Air Defense Network

Zelenskyy, who has been urging his allies for more air defense systems to counter Moscow's strikes, announced on Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air defense network with Germany’s assistance. “We've boosted the U.S.-made Patriot component of our Ukrainian air defense,” Zelenskyy said, referring to the sophisticated U.S.-made defense systems. Not providing additional details, the Ukrainian leader specifically thanked Germany and its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, for gratitude.

Moscow's Strikes Claim Civilians, Disrupt Power

Moscow's unmanned aircraft and rockets targeting Ukrainian territory killed at least six individuals, among them 2 minors, and disrupted electricity to thousands of households, officials reported on Sunday. Moscow's military attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, according to the office of Ukraine’s prosecutor general. The victims were two boys of ages 11 and 14, said Ukraine’s human rights commissioner. Russia’s strikes disrupted electricity to the whole eastern Donetsk region as well as almost 58,000 households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. Ukraine’s Eastern army group confirmed some of its personnel were killed in a particular of the enemy attacks on the region.