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FormerPresident Trump indicated on Sunday that he is not really contemplating supplying Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. After being asked by a journalist on Air Force One, he responded, “No, not really.” Earlier reports had suggested the Pentagon told the administration that American inventories of Tomahawks were ample to allow this transfer.

Ukraine's Defense Actions Continue Without Weapon Lack

Although Ukraine has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to conduct long-range strikes against Russian targets, it has still succeeded to wage a successful campaign using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles against Moscow's military and strategic targets, including fuel storage facilities and refineries. On Sunday, a Kyiv's drone attack hit the Tuapse oil port on the coast, igniting a blaze and harming two ships, according to Moscow authorities. Adjacent Russian airports in the region also had to be shut down.

Turkish Refineries Turn to Non-Russian Oil Sources

Turkey's largest oil refineries are boosting procurement of alternative crude in response to the recent western sanctions on Moscow, as reported by industry sources. Turkey is a significant purchaser of oil from Russia, together with Beijing and India, but processing companies are mirroring New Delhi's lead in cutting back supplies.

SOCAR Turkey Refinery Expands Oil Procurement

A major Turkish refining plants, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), owned by Azeri firm SOCAR, has recently acquired multiple shipments of crude from Iraq, Kazakhstan, and additional non-Russian producers for year-end delivery, according to insiders. These purchases represent approximately 77,000 to 129,000 barrels per day (bpd) of alternative crude, varying by cargo size. By comparison, oil from Russia accounted for virtually the entirety of the STAR refinery's crude intake in recent months, totaling about 210,000 barrels per day, based on market data. SOCAR refused to provide a statement.

Another Major Refiner Also Increasing Alternative Purchases

Another major Turkey's oil processor – Tupras refinery – was also increasing purchases of alternative grades of crude, as stated by multiple sources. The company was also likely to soon entirely eliminate Russian crude at a key facility of its two main Turkish plants to maintain petroleum exports to the EU without breaching the EU’s incoming sanctions. The refiner declined to comment to a inquiry for comment.

Ukraine Sends Elite Units to Eastern City

Ukraine has sent special forces to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an intense Moscow's assault comprising thousands of troops, as stated by Kyiv’s senior military leader. The city, called “the entrance to Donetsk,” lies on a major supply route for the Kyiv's army and has been in Moscow’s crosshairs for over a year as Russia pushes to seize the whole eastern Donetsk region.

Recent Updates in the City

At least two hundred Moscow's soldiers had breached the city's defensive lines, Ukrainian officials reported last week, while analysts concluded that additional forces were advancing on its outskirts in a encircling maneuver. In his nightly speech on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the fighting in the city and “results in the elimination of the invading forces.”

Zelenskyy Announces Enhanced Air Defense System

Zelenskyy, who has been urging his allies for additional air defense systems to hold off Russia’s strikes, stated on this past Sunday that the country had strengthened its air defense network with Berlin's assistance. “We've boosted the U.S.-made Patriot component of our national air defence,” Zelenskyy declared, mentioning the sophisticated American defense systems. Not providing additional details, the Ukraine's president specifically thanked Berlin and its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, for thanks.

Russian Attacks Claim Civilians, Disrupt Electricity

Russian unmanned aircraft and rockets fired at Ukraine took the lives of no fewer than 6 individuals, including 2 minors, and disrupted power to tens of thousands of residents, authorities reported on Sunday. Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the representatives of the country's prosecutor general. The victims were male minors aged eleven and fourteen, stated Ukraine’s ombudsman. Russia’s attacks disrupted electricity to the entire eastern Donetsk area as well as nearly 58 thousand homes in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their governors announced. The Vostok army group said a number of its personnel were killed in one of the enemy strikes on the region.