Trump States He Is Not Considering Providing Long-Range Missiles to Ukraine.

FormerPresident Trump indicated this past Sunday that he is not really planning sending Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. When questioned by a reporter on Air Force One, he answered, “No, not currently.” Recent reports had indicated the Pentagon informed the administration that U.S. stockpiles of Tomahawks were ample to enable such a delivery.

Ukraine's Military Actions Persist Without Weapon Shortage

While Ukraine has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to execute long-range attacks against Russia, it has still managed to wage a successful operation using its domestically-produced drones and missiles against Moscow's military and strategic targets, such as oil depots and refineries. This past Sunday, a Kyiv's drone attack targeted the Tuapse oil port on the Black Sea, causing a blaze and harming two ships, as stated by Russian authorities. Adjacent Russian airports in the region also had to be shut down.

Turkish Refineries Turn to Non-Russian Crude Sources

Ankara's largest oil refineries are increasing procurement of alternative crude in reaction to the latest western sanctions on Moscow, as reported by market insiders. Turkey is a significant buyer of oil from Russia, together with China and New Delhi, but processing companies are following India's lead in cutting back supplies.

STAR Refinery Diversifies Crude Sources

A major Turkish refineries, the STAR refinery, operated by Azeri firm SOCAR, has recently acquired multiple shipments of crude from Iraqi, Kazakh, and other non-Russian suppliers for year-end arrival, according to sources. This amount to roughly tens of thousands of barrels daily of non-Russian supply, varying by cargo size. In contrast, oil from Russia accounted for virtually the entirety of the plant's supply in October and September, totaling approximately 210 thousand barrels per day, based on market data. SOCAR declined to comment.

Another Major Refiner Also Boosting Alternative Buys

The other leading Turkey's refiner – Tupras – was additionally raising acquisitions of alternative grades of crude, as stated by two insiders. Tupras was also expected to in the near future entirely phase out imports from Russia at a key facility of its primary major Turkish refineries to maintain fuel shipments to the EU without violating the European Union's incoming restrictions. The refiner declined to comment to a request for a statement.

Ukrainian Deploys Elite Units to Eastern City

Kyiv has deployed special forces to the embattled east city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to push back an fierce Moscow's offensive comprising a large number of soldiers, according to Kyiv’s top military leader. Pokrovsk, dubbed “the gateway to Donetsk,” is located on a major supply route for the Kyiv's military and has been under Moscow’s crosshairs for over a year as Moscow pushes to seize the entire east Donetsk area.

Recent Developments in the City

No fewer than two hundred Moscow's soldiers had penetrated the city's defensive lines, Kyiv reported recently, while military experts assessed that others were advancing on its outskirts in a pincer-shaped movement. In his nightly speech on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the combat in Pokrovsk and “results in the elimination of the invading forces.”

Zelenskyy Announces Enhanced Air Defence Network

Zelenskyy, who has been pushing his allies for additional air defense systems to counter Russia’s strikes, stated on this past Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air-defence capabilities with Berlin's support. “We've strengthened the Patriot element of our national air defense,” he said, referring to the advanced American defense systems. Without providing further details, the Ukraine's leader singled out Germany and its chancellor, the German chancellor, for gratitude.

Russian Attacks Claim Civilians, Disrupt Electricity

Moscow's unmanned aircraft and rockets targeting Ukrainian territory took the lives of no fewer than 6 individuals, among them 2 children, and disrupted electricity to tens of thousands of households, authorities said on this past Sunday. Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the office of the country's prosecutor general. The victims were male minors aged eleven and fourteen, said the nation's human rights commissioner. Russia’s strikes cut electricity to the entire east Donetsk region as well as almost 58 thousand households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their governors announced. The Eastern army group said a number of its personnel were killed in a particular of the enemy strikes on the region.