Trump Affirms He Isn't Considering Sending Tomahawk Cruise Missiles to Kyiv.

Ex-President Trump indicated on Sunday that he is not really planning supplying Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. After being asked by a reporter on Air Force One, he responded, “No, not at the moment.” Earlier reports had claimed the U.S. Department of Defense told the administration that American stockpiles of Tomahawks were ample to enable this delivery.

Ukrainian Defense Efforts Continue Without Missile Shortage

Although Ukraine has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to execute long-range strikes against Russian targets, it has still succeeded to wage a successful campaign using its domestically-produced drones and rockets against Moscow's military and strategic targets, including oil depots and refineries. This past Sunday, a Ukrainian airstrike targeted the port facility on the Black Sea, igniting a blaze and harming two vessels, according to Russian officials. Adjacent Russian airports in the area also had to be shut down.

Turkish Refineries Turn to Non-Russian Oil Supplies

Turkey's largest oil refining facilities are increasing procurement of non-Russian crude in reaction to the recent international restrictions on Russia, according to market sources. The country is a major purchaser of Russian crude, together with China and India, but processing companies are following India's lead in reducing supplies.

SOCAR Turkey Refinery Diversifies Crude Sources

A major Turkish refineries, the STAR refinery, owned by Azeri company SOCAR, has lately purchased multiple cargoes of crude from Iraqi, Kazakhstan, and other non-Russian suppliers for year-end delivery, as per sources. These purchases amount to roughly 77,000 to 129,000 barrels daily of alternative supply, varying by cargo size. In contrast, oil from Russia made up virtually the entirety of the plant's crude intake in recent months, amounting to approximately 210 thousand barrels per day, based on market information. SOCAR refused to comment.

Another Major Refiner Also Increasing Alternative Buys

Another major Turkey's refiner – Tupras refinery – was also increasing acquisitions of alternative types of crude, as stated by multiple insiders. The company was also expected to soon completely phase out Russian crude at a key facility of its primary major Turkish refineries to maintain petroleum exports to Europe without breaching the European Union's incoming sanctions. Tupras did not respond to a inquiry for a statement.

Ukrainian Sends Special Forces to Pokrovsk

Ukraine has deployed elite troops to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an intense Moscow's offensive comprising thousands of soldiers, according to Kyiv’s top commander. Pokrovsk, called “the entrance to Donetsk,” lies on a key logistical line for the Ukrainian military and has been in Moscow’s crosshairs for more than a year as Russia aims to control the entire east Donetsk area.

Latest Updates in Pokrovsk

At least two hundred Russian soldiers had penetrated the city's defensive lines, Kyiv said last week, while analysts concluded that additional forces were advancing on its outskirts in a encircling movement. In his nightly speech on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the combat in Pokrovsk and “results in the destruction of the invading forces.”

Ukrainian President Reveals Enhanced Air Defence Network

Zelenskyy, who has been urging his allies for additional air defences to hold off Moscow's attacks, stated on this past Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air-defence capabilities with Berlin's support. “We have strengthened the U.S.-made Patriot element of our Ukrainian air defence,” he said, referring to the sophisticated U.S.-made air-defence systems. Not offering further details, the Ukrainian leader specifically thanked Berlin and its leader, the German chancellor, for gratitude.

Moscow's Strikes Claim Innocents, Disrupt Electricity

Russian drones and missiles fired at Ukrainian territory killed at least 6 people, among them 2 minors, and disrupted electricity to thousands of households, officials reported on Sunday. Moscow's military struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, according to the office of Ukraine’s prosecutor general. The victims were male minors aged eleven and 14, said Ukraine’s human rights commissioner. The attacks cut electricity to the entire eastern Donetsk area as well as almost 58 thousand households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their governors announced. Ukraine’s Eastern army group said some of its members were killed in one of the Russian attacks on Dnipropetrovsk.