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FormerPresident Trump stated on Sunday that he is not really planning sending Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. When questioned by a reporter aboard his plane, he answered, “No, not currently.” Earlier reports had suggested the U.S. Department of Defense told the White House that U.S. stockpiles of Tomahawks were sufficient to allow this transfer.

Ukraine's Defense Actions Persist Without Missile Lack

While Ukrainian forces has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to conduct far-reaching attacks against Russian targets, it has nonetheless succeeded to conduct a effective operation using its own drones and rockets against Russian armed and key targets, including oil depots and processing plants. On Sunday, a Ukrainian airstrike struck the port facility on the coast, causing a blaze and damaging two ships, as stated by Moscow officials. Adjacent airfields in the area also had to be shut down.

Turkey Oil Plants Turn to Non-Russian Oil Supplies

Turkey's biggest oil refineries are boosting procurement of alternative crude in response to the latest western restrictions on Russia, as reported by industry insiders. The country is a significant purchaser of oil from Russia, along with China and New Delhi, but refiners are following India's example in cutting back supplies.

SOCAR Turkey Plant Expands Crude Procurement

A major Turkey's refining plants, the STAR refinery, operated by Azeri firm SOCAR, has recently purchased multiple cargoes of crude from Iraqi, Kazakhstan, and other alternative producers for year-end arrival, according to insiders. This amount to approximately 77,000 to 129,000 barrels per day (bpd) of alternative supply, depending on shipment volume. In contrast, Russian crude accounted for nearly all of the STAR refinery's crude intake in October and September, amounting to approximately 210,000 bpd, according to market information. SOCAR refused to provide a statement.

Tupras Also Increasing Non-Russian Buys

Another leading Turkish oil processor – Tupras refinery – was additionally raising acquisitions of non-Russian grades of crude, according to multiple sources. Tupras was furthermore likely to in the near future completely eliminate Russian crude at a key facility of its two main domestic plants to continue petroleum exports to the EU without violating the European Union's incoming sanctions. The refiner declined to comment to a request for comment.

Ukraine Sends Elite Units to Pokrovsk

Ukraine has deployed special forces to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to repel an intense Moscow's offensive comprising thousands of soldiers, as stated by Kyiv’s top military leader. The city, dubbed “the gateway to Donetsk,” is located on a key supply line for the Kyiv's army and has been under Russia's sights for over a twelve months as Moscow aims to seize the entire east Donetsk area.

Recent Developments in Pokrovsk

At least 200 Moscow's soldiers had penetrated Pokrovsk’s defensive lines, Kyiv said recently, while analysts concluded that others were closing in 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 invading forces.”

Zelenskyy Reveals Enhanced Air Defense System

The president, who has been urging his partners for additional air defences to hold off Russia’s strikes, announced on this past Sunday that Ukraine had strengthened its air-defence network with Germany’s assistance. “We have strengthened the Patriot element of our Ukrainian air defense,” Zelenskyy said, referring to the advanced American air-defence systems. Not providing additional details, the Ukraine's leader specifically thanked Germany and its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, for thanks.

Moscow's Strikes Claim Innocents, Cut Power

Moscow's drones and missiles fired at Ukraine took the lives of at least 6 people, including two children, and cut power to thousands of residents, authorities reported on this past Sunday. Russian forces struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, said the office of the country's prosecutor general. The children were two boys aged eleven and fourteen, stated the nation's ombudsman. The strikes disrupted power to the whole east Donetsk area as well as nearly 58 thousand homes in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their governors announced. Ukraine’s Vostok army group confirmed a number of its personnel were killed in one of the enemy strikes on Dnipropetrovsk.