Trump Affirms He Isn't Contemplating Sending Long-Range Missiles to Kyiv.

FormerPresident Donald Trump stated on Sunday that he is not actively considering sending Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk missiles. After being asked by a journalist aboard his plane, he replied, “No, not currently.” Recent accounts had suggested the U.S. Department of Defense informed the administration that American inventories of Tomahawks were ample to enable such a delivery.

Ukraine's Military Actions Persist Without Weapon Shortage

Although Ukraine has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to execute long-range strikes against Russian targets, it has nonetheless succeeded to conduct a effective campaign using its domestically-produced drones and rockets against Moscow's military and strategic objectives, including oil depots and refineries. On Sunday, a Kyiv's drone attack hit the Tuapse oil port on the coast, causing a blaze and damaging two ships, according to Moscow officials. Adjacent Russian airports in the region also had to be closed.

Turkey Refineries Shift to Alternative Crude Sources

Turkey's biggest oil refining facilities are boosting procurement of alternative crude in reaction to the latest western restrictions on Moscow, as reported by industry insiders. The country is a significant buyer of Russian crude, along with China and New Delhi, but refiners are mirroring New Delhi's lead in reducing imports.

STAR Plant Expands Crude Procurement

A major Turkey's refining plants, the STAR refinery, operated by Azeri company SOCAR, has lately purchased four shipments of crude from Iraq, Kazakhstan, and other non-Russian producers for December arrival, as per sources. This represent roughly 77,000 to 129,000 barrels daily of non-Russian supply, varying by shipment volume. By comparison, oil from Russia accounted for nearly all of the plant's supply in October and September, totaling about 210 thousand barrels per day, based on market data. SOCAR refused to provide a statement.

Tupras Also Increasing Alternative Buys

Another major Turkish oil processor – Tupras refinery – was also increasing purchases of non-Russian types of crude, as stated by multiple insiders. The company was furthermore likely to in the near future completely eliminate Russian crude at a key facility of its primary main Turkish plants to continue petroleum exports to the EU without breaching the EU’s incoming sanctions. Tupras declined to comment to a inquiry for comment.

Ukraine Deploys Special Forces to Pokrovsk

Ukraine has sent elite troops to the embattled east city of Pokrovsk in an effort to repel an fierce Moscow's offensive comprising thousands of troops, as stated by Ukraine's senior commander. The city, dubbed “the gateway to Donetsk,” is located on a key supply line for the Kyiv's military and has been under Moscow’s sights for over a year as Russia aims to seize the whole east Donetsk region.

Recent Updates in the City

No fewer than two hundred Russian soldiers had penetrated the city's defensive lines, Kyiv said recently, while military experts assessed that additional forces were closing in on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped maneuver. In his nightly address on this past Sunday, the Ukrainian president spoke of the combat in the city and “successes in the elimination of the invading forces.”

Zelenskyy Reveals Strengthened Air Defense System

The president, who has been urging his partners for additional air defences to hold off Russia’s strikes, stated on Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air-defence network with Germany’s assistance. “We have boosted the Patriot component of our Ukrainian air defense,” he said, mentioning the advanced American air-defence systems. Not providing further information, the Ukrainian president singled out Germany and its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, for thanks.

Russian Strikes Claim Innocents, Disrupt Electricity

Moscow's drones and missiles targeting Ukraine took the lives of at least six people, including 2 children, and disrupted electricity to thousands of residents, authorities reported on Sunday. Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the office of the country's prosecutor general. The children were male minors aged eleven and 14, said Ukraine’s human rights commissioner. Russia’s attacks cut electricity to the whole eastern Donetsk region as well as nearly 58,000 households in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their governors announced. Ukraine’s Vostok military unit confirmed some of its personnel were killed in one of the enemy attacks on Dnipropetrovsk.