Trump Affirms He Is Not Contemplating Providing Tomahawk Cruise Missiles to Ukraine.

Ex-President Donald Trump stated this past Sunday that he was not really considering supplying Ukraine with advanced Tomahawk missiles. When questioned by a journalist on his plane, he replied, “No, not really.” Earlier accounts had indicated the U.S. Department of Defense informed the White House that American inventories of Tomahawks were adequate to allow this transfer.

Ukraine's Defense Efforts Persist Despite Missile Lack

While Ukrainian forces has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to carry out far-reaching attacks against Russian targets, it has still succeeded to conduct a successful operation using its own drones and rockets against Moscow's military and key targets, including oil depots and processing plants. On Sunday, a Kyiv's airstrike struck the Tuapse oil port on the coast, igniting a blaze and damaging two ships, as stated by Russian officials. Adjacent Russian airports in the region also had to be closed.

Turkey Refineries Shift to Alternative Oil Sources

Ankara's largest oil refineries are increasing purchases of non-Russian crude in reaction to the recent western restrictions on Moscow, as reported by industry sources. Turkey is a significant purchaser of Russian crude, together with China and New Delhi, but processing companies are mirroring New Delhi's example in cutting back imports.

STAR Plant Expands Crude Procurement

One of the largest Turkish refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), owned by Azeri firm SOCAR, has lately purchased four shipments of crude from Iraq, Kazakh, and additional non-Russian suppliers for year-end delivery, as per insiders. This amount to roughly 77,000 to 129,000 barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian supply, varying by shipment volume. In contrast, Russian crude accounted for virtually the entirety of the STAR refinery's crude intake in recent months, amounting to approximately 210,000 bpd, based on trade information. SOCAR refused to provide a statement.

Tupras Also Boosting Alternative Buys

Another leading Turkish refiner – Tupras – was additionally raising purchases of alternative types of crude, according to multiple insiders. Tupras was furthermore likely to soon entirely phase out imports from Russia at one of its two major domestic plants to maintain petroleum shipments to Europe without breaching the EU’s upcoming sanctions. Tupras declined to comment to a inquiry for a statement.

Ukrainian Sends Special Forces to Eastern City

Kyiv has sent special forces to the embattled east city of Pokrovsk in an effort to repel an fierce Russian assault involving a large number of troops, as stated by Ukraine's top commander. Pokrovsk, called “the gateway to Donetsk,” lies on a key logistical route for the Ukrainian military and has been in Moscow’s sights for more than a year as Russia pushes to control the entire eastern Donetsk area.

Recent Updates in the City

At least 200 Russian troops had penetrated Pokrovsk’s defences, Kyiv said recently, while military experts assessed that others were closing in on its perimeter in a encircling movement. In his evening speech on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the combat in the city and “successes in the destruction of the occupiers.”

Zelenskyy Announces Enhanced Air Defense System

Zelenskyy, who has been urging his partners for additional air defences to counter Russia’s attacks, stated on this past Sunday that Ukraine had strengthened its air-defence network with Berlin's support. “We've boosted the U.S.-made Patriot component of our Ukrainian air defense,” Zelenskyy said, mentioning the advanced U.S.-made defense systems. Not offering further details, the Ukraine's president specifically thanked Germany and its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, for thanks.

Moscow's Attacks Kill Innocents, Cut Electricity

Russian drones and missiles fired at Ukrainian territory killed no fewer than six individuals, among them two minors, and disrupted power to tens of thousands of residents, authorities said on this past Sunday. Russian forces struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, said the office of the country's chief prosecutor. The children were male minors aged eleven and 14, said Ukraine’s human rights commissioner. The strikes cut power to the whole east Donetsk area as well as almost 58,000 homes in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders announced. Ukraine’s Eastern army group confirmed some of its members were killed in a particular of the enemy strikes on Dnipropetrovsk.