🔗 Share this article

Ex-President Donald Trump indicated this past Sunday that he was not actively considering supplying Ukrainian forces with advanced Tomahawk missiles. In response to a query by a reporter aboard his plane, he replied, “No, not currently.” Earlier reports had suggested the Pentagon told the White House that American stockpiles of Tomahawks were sufficient to allow such a transfer.

Ukrainian Military Actions Persist Despite Missile Lack

Although Ukraine has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to carry out far-reaching strikes against Russian targets, it has still managed to conduct a successful operation using its own drones and rockets against Russian armed and key objectives, such as oil depots and refineries. On Sunday, a Kyiv's airstrike targeted the port facility on the coast, igniting a fire and harming two ships, according to Russian officials. Adjacent Russian airports in the region also had to be shut down.

Turkish Oil Plants Turn to Non-Russian Oil Supplies

Turkey's largest oil refineries are boosting procurement of non-Russian crude in reaction to the latest western sanctions on Russia, as reported by market insiders. The country is a significant purchaser of Russian crude, together with Beijing and New Delhi, but processing companies are mirroring New Delhi's example in cutting back supplies.

STAR Plant Diversifies Crude Procurement

A major Turkey's refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), owned by Azeri company SOCAR, has lately acquired multiple shipments of crude from Iraq, Kazakhstan, and additional alternative suppliers for December arrival, according to sources. This amount to roughly 77,000 to 129,000 barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian supply, depending on shipment volume. In contrast, oil from Russia made up nearly the entirety of the STAR refinery's supply in recent months, amounting to about 210,000 barrels per day, based on market information. SOCAR declined to comment.

Tupras Also Boosting Non-Russian Purchases

The other leading Turkish refiner – Tupras – was additionally raising purchases of non-Russian types of crude, according to two insiders. The company was furthermore likely to soon entirely phase out imports from Russia at one of its primary major domestic plants to maintain petroleum exports to the EU without breaching the European Union's upcoming sanctions. Tupras declined to comment to a request for a statement.

Ukrainian Deploys Special Forces to Eastern City

Kyiv has deployed special forces to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an fierce Russian assault comprising thousands of soldiers, as stated by Ukraine's top military leader. Pokrovsk, called “the entrance to Donetsk,” lies on a key supply route for the Kyiv's military and has been under Russia's crosshairs for more than a year as Moscow pushes to control the entire east Donetsk area.

Recent Developments in Pokrovsk

At least two hundred Russian troops had breached the city's defences, Ukrainian officials said last week, while military experts assessed that others were advancing on its outskirts in a pincer-shaped movement. In his evening speech on this past Sunday, the Ukrainian president spoke of the combat in the city and “successes in the elimination of the occupiers.”

Ukrainian President Announces Enhanced Air Defense System

The president, who has been pushing his partners for more air defences to counter Moscow's strikes, announced on this past Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air-defence network with Berlin's support. “We have strengthened the Patriot component of our national air defence,” he said, referring to the sophisticated American defense systems. Not offering further information, the Ukrainian leader singled out Berlin and its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, for gratitude.

Russian Strikes Kill Civilians, Disrupt Electricity

Russian drones and rockets targeting Ukraine killed at least 6 individuals, among them two children, and cut power to thousands of households, officials reported on Sunday. Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the office of Ukraine’s prosecutor general. The victims were two boys aged 11 and fourteen, stated the nation's human rights commissioner. Russia’s attacks cut electricity to the entire east Donetsk region as well as almost 58 thousand homes in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders announced. Ukraine’s Vostok army group said some of its members were killed in one of the enemy strikes on Dnipropetrovsk.