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FormerPresident Trump remarked this past Sunday that he was not actively considering providing Ukraine with advanced Tomahawk missiles. In response to a query by a reporter on Air Force One, he answered, “No, not really.” Earlier reports had claimed the U.S. Department of Defense informed the White House that American stockpiles of Tomahawks were adequate to allow such a delivery.

Ukraine's Military Actions Persist Despite Missile Lack

While Ukrainian forces has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to carry out far-reaching strikes against Russia, it has nonetheless managed to conduct a effective operation using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles against Russian armed and key targets, such as fuel storage facilities and refineries. On Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack struck the port facility on the Black Sea, igniting a blaze and harming two ships, as stated by Russian authorities. Adjacent Russian airports in the area also had to be shut down.

Turkish Refineries Shift to Alternative Crude Supplies

Turkey's largest oil refineries are boosting procurement of non-Russian crude in reaction to the recent international sanctions on Moscow, according to industry sources. The country 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 supplies.

SOCAR Turkey Plant Diversifies Oil Procurement

One of the largest Turkey's refining plants, the STAR refinery, operated by Azeri company SOCAR, has lately purchased four cargoes of crude from Iraqi, Kazakh, and other alternative suppliers for year-end delivery, as per insiders. These purchases represent approximately 77,000 to 129,000 barrels daily of non-Russian crude, depending on cargo size. In contrast, oil from Russia made up virtually the entirety of the STAR refinery's supply in recent months, amounting to approximately 210,000 bpd, based on trade data. SOCAR declined to comment.

Another Major Refiner Also Increasing Non-Russian Buys

The other leading Turkey's oil processor – Tupras – was also raising purchases of non-Russian grades of crude, according to multiple insiders. Tupras was also likely to in the near future completely phase out imports from Russia at a key facility of its two major domestic plants to maintain petroleum exports to Europe without violating the EU’s upcoming sanctions. The refiner did not respond to a request for comment.

Ukraine Sends Special Forces to Eastern City

Kyiv has sent special forces to the heavily contested eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to repel an fierce Moscow's offensive involving thousands of troops, according to Kyiv’s senior commander. Pokrovsk, dubbed “the entrance to Donetsk,” lies on a major logistical route for the Kyiv's army and has been under Moscow’s sights for over a year as Moscow aims to control the whole eastern Donetsk region.

Recent Developments in the City

At least two hundred Moscow's soldiers had breached the city's defensive lines, Kyiv reported last week, while military experts concluded that additional forces were closing in on its outskirts in a encircling movement. In his evening speech on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the combat in the city and “successes in the elimination of the invading forces.”

Zelenskyy Reveals Enhanced Air Defense System

The president, who has been urging his partners for additional air defense systems to hold off Moscow's strikes, stated on Sunday that Ukraine had strengthened its air defense network with Berlin's support. “We have strengthened the Patriot element of our national air defense,” he said, mentioning the advanced American defense systems. Without providing further details, the Ukraine's leader specifically thanked Germany and its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, for gratitude.

Moscow's Attacks Claim Innocents, Cut Electricity

Russian unmanned aircraft and missiles targeting Ukrainian territory killed at least six people, including two children, and disrupted electricity to thousands of households, authorities said on Sunday. Moscow's military attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, said the representatives of Ukraine’s prosecutor general. The children were male minors aged 11 and fourteen, stated Ukraine’s ombudsman. The strikes disrupted power to the entire east Donetsk area as well as nearly 58 thousand homes in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. The Vostok army group confirmed a number of its members were killed in a particular of the enemy attacks on the region.