Trump Affirms He Is Not Contemplating Sending Long-Range Cruise Missiles to Kyiv.

FormerPresident Donald Trump remarked on Sunday that he is not actively considering sending Ukraine with advanced Tomahawk cruise missiles. After being asked by a reporter aboard Air Force One, he answered, “No, not really.” Recent accounts had claimed the Pentagon informed the White House that American inventories of Tomahawks were ample to enable such a delivery.

Ukraine's Defense Actions Persist Despite Weapon Shortage

While Ukraine has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to conduct far-reaching strikes against Russian targets, it has still managed to conduct a effective operation using its own unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles against Moscow's armed and key objectives, such as fuel storage facilities and refineries. This past Sunday, a Kyiv's drone attack struck the port facility on the Black Sea, causing a fire and harming two vessels, as stated by Russian officials. Adjacent Russian airports in the region also had to be shut down.

Turkey Refineries Turn to Alternative Oil Supplies

Turkey's largest oil refineries are increasing purchases of alternative crude in response to the latest international sanctions on Russia, as reported by market sources. Turkey is a significant purchaser of oil from Russia, together with China and New Delhi, but processing companies are mirroring New Delhi's example in reducing imports.

STAR Refinery Diversifies Oil Procurement

A major Turkish refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), owned by Azeri firm SOCAR, has recently acquired four shipments of crude from Iraqi, Kazakh, and other non-Russian suppliers for December arrival, according to sources. These purchases amount to approximately tens of thousands of barrels daily of non-Russian supply, depending on cargo size. By comparison, oil from Russia accounted for virtually the entirety of the plant's crude intake in recent months, amounting to approximately 210,000 barrels per day, according to trade data. SOCAR declined to provide a statement.

Another Major Refiner Also Increasing Alternative Purchases

Another major Turkish refiner – Tupras refinery – was additionally increasing acquisitions of alternative grades of crude, according to two sources. Tupras was also likely to soon entirely eliminate Russian crude at one of its two main Turkish refineries to continue fuel exports to Europe without violating the European Union's upcoming restrictions. Tupras declined to comment to a inquiry for a statement.

Ukraine Sends Special Forces to Eastern City

Kyiv has deployed elite troops to the heavily contested eastern city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to push back an intense Moscow's assault comprising a large number of troops, according to Kyiv’s top military leader. Pokrovsk, dubbed “the gateway to Donetsk,” lies on a major supply route for the Kyiv's military and has been under Moscow’s sights for more than a twelve months as Russia aims to control the entire eastern Donetsk area.

Recent Developments in Pokrovsk

At least 200 Moscow's troops had breached Pokrovsk’s defensive lines, Kyiv reported recently, while analysts assessed that additional forces were closing in on its outskirts in a pincer-shaped movement. In his nightly speech on Sunday, the Ukrainian president mentioned the fighting in the city and “results in the destruction of the occupiers.”

Zelenskyy Reveals Enhanced Air Defense Network

The president, who has been urging his allies for more air defense systems to hold off Moscow's strikes, announced on this past Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air defense capabilities with Berlin's support. “We have boosted the Patriot element of our national air defense,” Zelenskyy said, mentioning the sophisticated U.S.-made air-defence systems. Without offering further information, the Ukraine's leader singled out Germany and its leader, Friedrich Merz, for thanks.

Moscow's Attacks Claim Civilians, Cut Power

Moscow's unmanned aircraft and missiles targeting Ukrainian territory took the lives of no fewer than six individuals, among them two children, and cut power to thousands of residents, authorities reported on Sunday. Moscow's military attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, said the representatives of the country's prosecutor general. The children were male minors aged 11 and fourteen, stated the nation's human rights commissioner. Russia’s strikes disrupted power to the entire eastern Donetsk region as well as nearly 58,000 households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. The Eastern military unit confirmed some of its members were killed in a particular of the enemy strikes on Dnipropetrovsk.