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Ex-President Donald Trump indicated on Sunday that he is not really planning providing Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles. In response to a query by a reporter on his plane, he responded, “No, not at the moment.” Recent reports had claimed the U.S. Department of Defense told the administration that American stockpiles of Tomahawks were sufficient to enable this delivery.

Ukrainian Defense Actions Continue Despite Weapon Lack

While Ukrainian forces has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to conduct long-range strikes against Russia, it has nonetheless managed to wage a effective operation using its own drones and rockets against Moscow's military and strategic targets, such as fuel storage facilities and refineries. On Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack targeted the Tuapse oil port on the Black Sea, igniting a fire and damaging two vessels, according to Russian officials. Adjacent airfields in the area also had to be shut down.

Turkish Refineries Turn to Non-Russian Crude Supplies

Turkey's largest oil refineries are boosting procurement of non-Russian crude in response to the recent western restrictions on Russia, as reported by market sources. Turkey is a major buyer of Russian crude, together with Beijing and India, but refiners are mirroring New Delhi's lead in cutting back imports.

SOCAR Turkey Plant Diversifies Crude Sources

A major Turkish refining plants, the STAR refinery, owned by Azeri company SOCAR, has lately purchased four cargoes of crude from Iraqi, Kazakhstan, and other alternative suppliers for year-end delivery, as per insiders. These purchases represent roughly tens of thousands of barrels daily of alternative supply, varying by cargo size. In contrast, oil from Russia accounted for virtually the entirety of the plant's supply in recent months, totaling approximately 210 thousand bpd, according to market data. SOCAR declined to provide a statement.

Another Major Refiner Also Increasing Non-Russian Buys

Another major Turkey's oil processor – Tupras refinery – was additionally raising acquisitions of non-Russian grades of crude, as stated by multiple insiders. The company was also expected to in the near future completely phase out Russian crude at one of its primary main Turkish refineries to maintain petroleum shipments to the EU without violating the European Union's upcoming sanctions. Tupras did not respond to a inquiry for comment.

Ukrainian Sends Special Forces to Eastern City

Kyiv has deployed special forces to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to push back an fierce Moscow's offensive comprising a large number of troops, according to Kyiv’s senior commander. The city, called “the gateway to Donetsk,” is located on a major supply line for the Ukrainian military and has been under Russia's sights for more than a twelve months as Russia pushes to control the entire eastern Donetsk region.

Latest Updates in Pokrovsk

At least two hundred Moscow's soldiers had breached Pokrovsk’s defensive lines, Ukrainian officials said recently, while military experts concluded that others were closing in on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped movement. In his nightly speech on this past Sunday, the Ukrainian president mentioned the fighting in Pokrovsk and “successes in the elimination of the invading forces.”

Zelenskyy Reveals Enhanced Air Defense System

The president, who has been urging his allies for additional air defense systems to hold off Moscow's attacks, announced on Sunday that the country had strengthened its air-defence network with Germany’s assistance. “We've boosted the Patriot component of our Ukrainian air defense,” Zelenskyy declared, referring to the advanced American defense systems. Not providing further details, the Ukrainian leader specifically thanked Germany and its leader, the German chancellor, for thanks.

Russian Attacks Kill Innocents, Disrupt Electricity

Russian drones and rockets fired at Ukrainian territory killed no fewer than six people, including 2 minors, and disrupted electricity to thousands of residents, officials reported on this past Sunday. Moscow's military attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the office of the country's chief prosecutor. The children were male minors of ages eleven and fourteen, said Ukraine’s ombudsman. The strikes disrupted electricity to the whole east Donetsk region as well as nearly 58,000 homes in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. The Vostok military unit confirmed a number of its members were killed in one of the Russian strikes on the region.