🔗 Share this article

Ex-President Trump remarked on Sunday that he was not really planning providing Ukraine with advanced Tomahawk cruise missiles. When questioned by a journalist aboard Air Force One, he responded, “No, not currently.” Earlier reports had indicated the Pentagon informed the White House that American stockpiles of Tomahawks were ample to enable this transfer.

Ukrainian Military Actions Persist Without Weapon Shortage

Although Ukraine has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to conduct long-range attacks against Russian targets, it has still managed to wage a effective operation using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and rockets against Moscow's armed and key targets, including fuel storage facilities and refineries. On Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack hit the Tuapse oil port on the coast, causing a blaze and damaging two vessels, as stated by Moscow authorities. Adjacent Russian airports in the area also had to be closed.

Turkish Refineries Turn to Alternative Oil Sources

Ankara's biggest oil refineries are boosting procurement of alternative crude in reaction to the latest international restrictions on Russia, according to market sources. Turkey is a significant buyer of Russian crude, together with China and New Delhi, but refiners are mirroring India's lead in reducing supplies.

SOCAR Turkey Refinery Expands Crude Sources

A major Turkish refineries, the STAR refinery, owned by Azeri company SOCAR, has recently purchased multiple cargoes of crude from Iraqi, Kazakhstan, and additional non-Russian suppliers for year-end delivery, according to insiders. These purchases represent approximately 77,000 to 129,000 barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian supply, varying by shipment volume. By comparison, oil from Russia made up virtually the entirety of the STAR refinery's crude intake in recent months, amounting to about 210,000 bpd, based on market data. SOCAR refused to provide a statement.

Another Major Refiner Likewise Boosting Alternative Buys

The other major Turkish refiner – Tupras refinery – was also increasing purchases of alternative types of crude, as stated by multiple insiders. Tupras was also expected to soon completely eliminate imports from Russia at a key facility of its primary main Turkish refineries to continue petroleum exports to the EU without breaching the EU’s incoming restrictions. Tupras declined to comment to a request for comment.

Ukraine Sends Special Forces to Eastern City

Kyiv has deployed elite troops to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an intense Moscow's offensive comprising thousands of troops, as stated by Ukraine's senior commander. The city, called “the entrance to Donetsk,” is located on a key logistical line for the Ukrainian army and has been under Moscow’s sights for over a year as Russia pushes to control the entire eastern Donetsk area.

Recent Updates in Pokrovsk

No fewer than two hundred Moscow's troops had breached Pokrovsk’s defensive lines, Ukrainian officials reported recently, while military experts concluded that additional forces were closing in on its outskirts in a pincer-shaped maneuver. In his evening address on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the combat in Pokrovsk and “successes in the elimination of the invading forces.”

Zelenskyy Announces Strengthened Air Defence Network

The president, who has been urging his partners for more air defences to hold off Moscow's attacks, stated on Sunday that Ukraine had strengthened its air-defence capabilities with Berlin's assistance. “We have strengthened the U.S.-made Patriot element of our national air defense,” he said, referring to the sophisticated U.S.-made defense systems. Not offering additional information, the Ukrainian president specifically thanked Berlin and its leader, Friedrich Merz, for thanks.

Russian Strikes Claim Innocents, Disrupt Electricity

Russian unmanned aircraft and missiles fired at Ukraine took the lives of at least six individuals, including two children, and cut electricity to thousands of households, authorities said on this past Sunday. Moscow's military attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, said the office of Ukraine’s prosecutor general. The victims were two boys aged eleven and 14, stated Ukraine’s human rights commissioner. Russia’s attacks disrupted electricity to the entire east Donetsk area as well as nearly 58,000 households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their governors said. Ukraine’s Vostok army group said a number of its personnel were killed in a particular of the Russian strikes on the region.