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Ex-President Donald Trump stated on Sunday that he was not seriously considering sending Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. When questioned by a reporter on Air Force One, he replied, “No, not at the moment.” Earlier reports had claimed the Pentagon told the administration that American inventories of Tomahawks were ample to enable this delivery.

Ukrainian Military Efforts Persist Without Weapon Lack

While Ukraine has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to carry out long-range strikes against Russia, it has still managed to conduct a effective operation using its own unmanned aerial vehicles and rockets against Moscow's armed and key targets, including fuel storage facilities and refineries. This past Sunday, a Ukrainian airstrike hit the Tuapse oil port on the Black Sea, causing a fire and harming two ships, as stated by Moscow officials. Adjacent Russian airports in the region also had to be shut down.

Turkey Refineries Shift to Alternative Crude Supplies

Ankara's largest oil refineries are boosting purchases of non-Russian crude in response to the recent western sanctions on Moscow, as reported by industry sources. Turkey is a significant buyer of oil from Russia, together with China and New Delhi, but processing companies are following India's example in cutting back imports.

SOCAR Turkey Plant Diversifies Oil Procurement

A major Turkey's refining plants, the STAR refinery, owned by Azerbaijani firm SOCAR, has recently purchased multiple shipments of crude from Iraqi, Kazakh, and other non-Russian suppliers for year-end arrival, according to insiders. These purchases amount to roughly 77,000 to 129,000 barrels per day (bpd) of alternative crude, varying by cargo size. By comparison, Russian crude accounted for virtually all of the STAR refinery's supply in recent months, amounting to about 210 thousand bpd, based on market information. SOCAR refused to provide a statement.

Another Major Refiner Also Boosting Alternative Purchases

The other major Turkish oil processor – Tupras refinery – was additionally raising acquisitions of non-Russian grades of crude, according to two insiders. The company was also likely to soon entirely phase out Russian crude at one of its two main domestic plants to maintain petroleum shipments to Europe without breaching the EU’s upcoming restrictions. The refiner did not respond to a inquiry for comment.

Ukrainian Deploys Elite Units to Eastern City

Kyiv has sent special forces to the heavily contested eastern city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to push back an intense Moscow's assault involving thousands of troops, as stated by Ukraine's senior commander. Pokrovsk, dubbed “the gateway to Donetsk,” is located on a key logistical line for the Kyiv's military and has been in Russia's crosshairs for more than a twelve months as Russia aims to control the whole east Donetsk area.

Recent Updates in Pokrovsk

At least 200 Russian soldiers had penetrated the city's defences, Ukrainian officials said last week, while military experts concluded that additional forces were closing in on its outskirts in a pincer-shaped movement. In his evening speech on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the fighting in Pokrovsk and “successes in the elimination of the occupiers.”

Ukrainian President Reveals Strengthened Air Defense Network

The president, who has been urging his partners for more air defense systems to hold off Russia’s strikes, announced on this past Sunday that the country had strengthened its air-defence capabilities with Germany’s support. “We've strengthened the Patriot component of our national air defense,” Zelenskyy said, referring to the advanced U.S.-made defense systems. Without offering further details, the Ukrainian leader specifically thanked Germany and its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, for thanks.

Moscow's Strikes Kill Civilians, Cut Power

Russian drones and rockets targeting Ukraine took the lives of no fewer than six individuals, including 2 children, and disrupted electricity to tens of thousands of residents, officials said on this past Sunday. Moscow's military attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, according to the representatives of Ukraine’s chief prosecutor. The children were male minors of ages 11 and fourteen, stated Ukraine’s human rights commissioner. Russia’s strikes disrupted power to the whole east Donetsk area as well as almost 58 thousand homes in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders announced. The Eastern military unit confirmed some of its members were killed in one of the Russian strikes on Dnipropetrovsk.