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FormerPresident Trump indicated on Sunday that he was not actively contemplating providing Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk missiles. In response to a query by a reporter aboard Air Force One, he responded, “No, not currently.” Recent reports had indicated the Pentagon informed the White House that U.S. inventories of Tomahawks were sufficient to enable such a delivery.

Ukraine's Military Actions Persist Without Weapon Lack

While Ukrainian forces has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to conduct far-reaching strikes against Russian targets, it has nonetheless managed to conduct a effective operation using its own drones and rockets against Russian armed and strategic targets, including fuel storage facilities and refineries. On Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack hit the port facility on the Black Sea, causing a fire and harming two ships, according to Russian authorities. Nearby airfields in the region also had to be shut down.

Turkey Refineries Turn to Alternative Crude Supplies

Turkey's largest oil refining facilities are increasing purchases of alternative crude in reaction to the recent international restrictions on Russia, as reported by industry insiders. Turkey is a significant buyer of oil from Russia, together with China and India, but refiners are mirroring India's lead in reducing imports.

SOCAR Turkey Plant Diversifies Crude Procurement

A major Turkish refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), owned by Azerbaijani company SOCAR, has recently acquired multiple cargoes of crude from Iraq, Kazakhstan, and other alternative producers for year-end delivery, according to sources. This amount to approximately tens of thousands of barrels daily of non-Russian crude, varying by cargo size. In contrast, Russian crude made up virtually the entirety of the STAR refinery's supply in October and September, amounting to about 210 thousand barrels per day, according to trade information. SOCAR refused to provide a statement.

Tupras Also Increasing Alternative Purchases

Another leading Turkey's oil processor – Tupras – was also raising purchases of alternative grades of crude, according to multiple sources. The company was also expected to soon completely eliminate Russian crude at a key facility of its primary main domestic plants to continue petroleum exports to the EU without breaching the European Union's upcoming sanctions. The refiner declined to comment to a request for a statement.

Ukraine Deploys Special Forces to Pokrovsk

Kyiv has sent special forces to the embattled east city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to push back an fierce Russian offensive comprising a large number of soldiers, as stated by Kyiv’s top commander. Pokrovsk, called “the entrance to Donetsk,” is located on a major logistical line for the Ukrainian army and has been under Moscow’s crosshairs for over a twelve months as Russia aims to control the whole eastern Donetsk area.

Latest Developments in the City

No fewer than two hundred Russian troops had penetrated the city's defences, Kyiv reported last week, while military experts assessed that additional forces were closing in on its outskirts in a pincer-shaped movement. In his nightly speech on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the combat in Pokrovsk and “successes in the elimination of the occupiers.”

Ukrainian President Reveals Enhanced Air Defense System

The president, who has been pushing his partners for additional air defense systems to counter Moscow's strikes, stated on this past Sunday that the country had strengthened its air-defence network with Berlin's assistance. “We've boosted the Patriot element of our Ukrainian air defence,” Zelenskyy declared, referring to the sophisticated American air-defence systems. Without providing further details, the Ukraine's president singled out Berlin and its leader, Friedrich Merz, for thanks.

Moscow's Strikes Kill Civilians, Disrupt Power

Moscow's unmanned aircraft and rockets fired at Ukrainian territory took the lives of no fewer than 6 individuals, among them two children, and disrupted electricity to thousands of residents, officials said on Sunday. Moscow's military attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, according to the representatives of Ukraine’s prosecutor general. The children were male minors of ages 11 and fourteen, said Ukraine’s human rights commissioner. Russia’s strikes cut electricity to the entire eastern Donetsk region as well as nearly 58,000 homes in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders announced. The Eastern military unit confirmed some of its members were killed in one of the enemy strikes on Dnipropetrovsk.