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FormerPresident Donald Trump stated on Sunday that he is not seriously planning sending Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles. After being asked by a journalist on his plane, he responded, “No, not at the moment.” Recent accounts had indicated the U.S. Department of Defense told the administration that U.S. stockpiles of Tomahawks were sufficient to enable this delivery.

Ukrainian Military Actions Persist Without Weapon Shortage

Although Ukrainian forces has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to execute far-reaching attacks against Russia, it has still succeeded to conduct a successful operation using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and rockets against Moscow's armed and strategic targets, including oil depots and refineries. On Sunday, a Kyiv's drone attack targeted the Tuapse oil port on the coast, igniting a blaze and harming two ships, according to Russian officials. Nearby Russian airports in the region also had to be closed.

Turkey Refineries Shift to Alternative Crude Supplies

Turkey's biggest oil refineries are increasing procurement of alternative crude in response to the latest western sanctions on Moscow, as reported by industry sources. The country is a major purchaser of Russian crude, together with China and New Delhi, but refiners are mirroring New Delhi's example in reducing supplies.

STAR Plant Diversifies Oil Sources

A major Turkey's refining plants, the STAR refinery, owned by Azeri company SOCAR, has recently purchased multiple shipments of crude from Iraqi, Kazakh, and additional non-Russian suppliers for December arrival, according to sources. This amount to approximately 77,000 to 129,000 barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian supply, varying by cargo size. By comparison, Russian crude made up nearly the entirety of the STAR refinery's supply in October and September, totaling about 210 thousand bpd, based on market information. SOCAR declined to comment.

Another Major Refiner Likewise Boosting Alternative Buys

Another major Turkish refiner – Tupras refinery – was additionally increasing purchases of non-Russian types of crude, according to multiple insiders. Tupras was furthermore expected to in the near future completely phase out Russian crude at one of its two main Turkish refineries to maintain fuel shipments to the EU without breaching the European Union's upcoming restrictions. The refiner declined to comment to a inquiry for a statement.

Ukrainian Deploys Special Forces to Eastern City

Kyiv has deployed special forces to the heavily contested east city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to push back an fierce Moscow's assault comprising a large number of soldiers, as stated by Kyiv’s senior military leader. Pokrovsk, called “the gateway to Donetsk,” lies on a key logistical line for the Ukrainian military and has been under Moscow’s crosshairs for over a twelve months as Moscow aims to control the entire east Donetsk region.

Latest Developments in Pokrovsk

At least 200 Moscow's troops had penetrated Pokrovsk’s defences, Kyiv reported last week, while analysts assessed that additional forces were advancing on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped maneuver. In his evening speech on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the fighting in Pokrovsk and “results in the elimination of the occupiers.”

Zelenskyy Reveals Enhanced Air Defence System

Zelenskyy, who has been urging his partners for more air defences to hold off Russia’s attacks, announced on this past Sunday that the country had strengthened its air defense capabilities with Germany’s assistance. “We've strengthened the Patriot component of our national air defence,” Zelenskyy said, referring to the sophisticated American air-defence systems. Not providing additional information, the Ukraine's president singled out Germany and its leader, Friedrich Merz, for gratitude.

Russian Strikes Claim Civilians, Disrupt Power

Russian drones and rockets targeting Ukraine took the lives of at least 6 individuals, among them two children, and cut electricity to tens of thousands of households, officials said on Sunday. Russian forces struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the office of the country's prosecutor general. The victims were male minors aged 11 and fourteen, stated Ukraine’s ombudsman. The strikes disrupted electricity to the whole eastern Donetsk area as well as almost 58,000 homes in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their governors announced. The Vostok army group confirmed some of its personnel were killed in one of the enemy strikes on the region.