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FormerPresident Donald Trump indicated on Sunday that he was not actively planning providing Ukraine with advanced Tomahawk missiles. In response to a query by a journalist aboard Air Force One, he replied, “No, not really.” Recent 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.

Ukrainian Military Actions Continue Without Missile Lack

While Ukrainian forces has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to execute far-reaching strikes against Russia, it has nonetheless managed to wage a successful operation using its own drones and missiles against Russian armed and strategic objectives, such as fuel storage facilities and refineries. This past Sunday, a Ukrainian airstrike struck the port facility on the coast, causing a blaze and damaging two ships, as stated by Russian authorities. Nearby Russian airports in the region also had to be shut down.

Turkish Oil Plants Turn to Non-Russian Crude Supplies

Turkey's largest oil refining facilities are boosting procurement of non-Russian crude in response to the latest international sanctions on Russia, as reported by market insiders. Turkey is a major buyer of oil from Russia, along with Beijing and New Delhi, but refiners are following India's lead in cutting back supplies.

SOCAR Turkey Refinery Diversifies Oil Procurement

A major Turkey's refining plants, the STAR refinery, operated by Azerbaijani firm SOCAR, has recently purchased multiple cargoes of crude from Iraqi, Kazakh, and other alternative producers for December delivery, as per sources. This amount to roughly tens of thousands of barrels daily of alternative crude, depending on shipment volume. By comparison, Russian crude accounted for virtually the entirety of the STAR refinery's crude intake in recent months, amounting to about 210,000 bpd, based on trade information. SOCAR refused to comment.

Another Major Refiner Also Increasing Non-Russian Buys

Another major Turkey's oil processor – Tupras refinery – was also raising acquisitions of alternative types of crude, according to multiple sources. Tupras was furthermore expected to in the near future entirely phase out Russian crude at one of its two main Turkish plants to continue fuel exports to the EU without violating the EU’s incoming sanctions. The refiner did not respond to a inquiry for a statement.

Ukrainian Deploys Elite Units to Pokrovsk

Kyiv has sent special forces to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to repel an fierce Moscow's offensive involving thousands of soldiers, according to Kyiv’s senior commander. Pokrovsk, called “the entrance to Donetsk,” is located on a key logistical line for the Kyiv's military and has been under Moscow’s crosshairs for more than a year as Moscow aims to control the whole east Donetsk region.

Recent Developments in the City

No fewer than 200 Moscow's troops had breached Pokrovsk’s defensive lines, Ukrainian officials said recently, while military experts concluded that others were closing in on its outskirts in a pincer-shaped movement. In his evening speech on this past Sunday, the Ukrainian president mentioned the combat in Pokrovsk and “results in the elimination of the occupiers.”

Ukrainian President Reveals Strengthened Air Defence Network

Zelenskyy, who has been pushing his allies for more air defences to hold off Russia’s strikes, stated on Sunday that the country had reinforced its air-defence capabilities with Berlin's support. “We've strengthened the Patriot element of our Ukrainian air defense,” Zelenskyy declared, referring to the advanced American air-defence systems. Without providing further details, the Ukrainian president specifically thanked Berlin and its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, for gratitude.

Russian Attacks Kill Civilians, Cut Electricity

Russian unmanned aircraft and missiles fired at Ukrainian territory took the lives of at least six individuals, among them 2 minors, and disrupted electricity to tens of thousands of residents, officials said on this past Sunday. Russian forces struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, said the office of Ukraine’s chief prosecutor. The children were two boys aged 11 and 14, said Ukraine’s human rights commissioner. The attacks disrupted electricity to the entire east Donetsk region as well as almost 58 thousand homes in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. The Vostok military unit confirmed some of its personnel were killed in a particular of the enemy attacks on Dnipropetrovsk.