Donald Trump Says He Isn't Contemplating Supplying Long-Range Missiles to Kyiv.

Ex-President Donald Trump remarked this past Sunday that he is not actively contemplating providing Ukraine with advanced Tomahawk cruise missiles. When questioned by a reporter on his plane, he answered, “No, not currently.” Earlier accounts had suggested the Pentagon told the administration that U.S. stockpiles of Tomahawks were sufficient to enable this delivery.

Ukrainian Defense Actions Persist Despite Weapon Shortage

Although Ukrainian forces has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to carry out long-range strikes against Russia, it has nonetheless managed to wage a successful campaign using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and rockets against Russian armed and key objectives, such as oil depots and refineries. This past Sunday, a Kyiv's drone attack targeted the port facility on the Black Sea, igniting a blaze and harming two vessels, as stated by Russian officials. Nearby Russian airports in the region also had to be closed.

Turkey Refineries Shift to Alternative Crude Supplies

Turkey's largest oil refineries are increasing procurement of non-Russian crude in response to the latest western restrictions on Russia, according to market sources. The country is a major buyer of oil from Russia, together with China and India, but processing companies are following India's lead in cutting back supplies.

SOCAR Turkey Refinery Expands Oil Procurement

One of the largest Turkish refineries, the STAR refinery, operated by Azeri firm SOCAR, has recently purchased four cargoes of crude from Iraqi, Kazakhstan, and additional non-Russian producers for year-end arrival, as per insiders. These purchases represent roughly tens of thousands of barrels daily of alternative supply, depending on shipment volume. By comparison, oil from Russia made up virtually the entirety of the STAR refinery's supply in recent months, totaling about 210 thousand bpd, based on market information. SOCAR declined to provide a statement.

Another Major Refiner Likewise Increasing Alternative Purchases

The other major Turkey's oil processor – Tupras – was additionally raising purchases of non-Russian grades of crude, according to multiple sources. Tupras was also expected to in the near future entirely phase out imports from Russia at one of its two major domestic refineries to maintain fuel exports to Europe without breaching the European Union's upcoming sanctions. Tupras declined to comment to a request for comment.

Ukraine Sends Special Forces to Eastern City

Ukraine has deployed elite troops to the embattled east city of Pokrovsk in an effort to repel an intense Moscow's offensive comprising a large number of troops, according to Ukraine's senior commander. The city, dubbed “the entrance to Donetsk,” is located on a major logistical line for the Kyiv's military and has been under Russia's crosshairs for over a year as Moscow pushes to seize the entire eastern Donetsk area.

Latest Updates in the City

At least 200 Moscow's troops had penetrated Pokrovsk’s defensive lines, Ukrainian officials reported last week, while military experts assessed that additional forces were advancing on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped movement. In his evening address on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the combat in the city and “successes in the destruction of the occupiers.”

Zelenskyy Reveals Enhanced Air Defence Network

Zelenskyy, who has been urging his partners for additional air defences to hold off Russia’s strikes, announced on Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air-defence capabilities with Berlin's support. “We've boosted the Patriot element of our Ukrainian air defence,” Zelenskyy said, mentioning the sophisticated U.S.-made defense systems. Without providing further details, the Ukraine's leader singled out Germany and its chancellor, the German chancellor, for gratitude.

Russian Strikes Kill Innocents, Disrupt Power

Moscow's drones and rockets targeting Ukrainian territory took the lives of no fewer than six individuals, among them two children, and cut power to thousands of households, authorities reported on this past Sunday. Russian forces struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, according to the representatives of the country's chief prosecutor. The victims were male minors of ages 11 and fourteen, said Ukraine’s ombudsman. 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 announced. The Eastern military unit said some of its members were killed in one of the enemy strikes on the region.