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Ex-President Trump stated on Sunday that he was not really contemplating sending Ukrainian forces with advanced Tomahawk cruise missiles. After being asked by a reporter aboard his plane, he replied, “No, not at the moment.” Earlier reports had claimed the Pentagon informed the White House that U.S. stockpiles of Tomahawks were sufficient to enable this transfer.

Ukraine's Defense Actions Continue Despite Missile Lack

While Ukrainian forces has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to carry out far-reaching strikes against Russia, it has nonetheless succeeded to conduct a successful operation using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles against Russian armed and key targets, such as oil depots and processing plants. On Sunday, a Ukrainian airstrike targeted the port facility on the Black Sea, causing a fire and damaging two ships, as stated by Russian authorities. Nearby Russian airports in the region also had to be shut down.

Turkey Oil Plants Shift to Non-Russian Crude Sources

Turkey's biggest oil refineries are boosting purchases of alternative crude in reaction to the recent international sanctions on Russia, as reported by industry insiders. The country is a major purchaser of oil from Russia, along with China and India, but refiners are following India's example in cutting back supplies.

STAR Refinery Expands Crude Sources

A major Turkish refining plants, the STAR refinery, operated by Azeri firm SOCAR, has lately acquired multiple shipments of crude from Iraqi, Kazakhstan, and additional non-Russian suppliers for year-end arrival, according to insiders. This represent roughly 77,000 to 129,000 barrels daily of alternative supply, varying by shipment volume. In contrast, Russian crude made up nearly all of the STAR refinery's supply in October and September, amounting to about 210 thousand bpd, based on trade information. SOCAR refused to comment.

Another Major Refiner Likewise Increasing Non-Russian Purchases

Another major Turkish oil processor – Tupras – was additionally increasing purchases of alternative types of crude, according to multiple insiders. Tupras was furthermore expected to soon entirely phase out imports from Russia at a key facility of its primary major domestic plants to maintain petroleum exports to Europe without breaching the EU’s upcoming sanctions. The refiner did not respond to a request for comment.

Ukrainian Deploys Special Forces to Pokrovsk

Ukraine has deployed special forces to the heavily contested eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to repel an fierce Russian assault involving a large number of troops, according to Ukraine's senior commander. Pokrovsk, dubbed “the entrance to Donetsk,” lies on a major logistical route for the Kyiv's army and has been under Moscow’s crosshairs for more than a year as Moscow pushes to seize the entire eastern Donetsk area.

Latest Updates in the City

No fewer than 200 Moscow's soldiers had penetrated the city's defences, Kyiv reported recently, while analysts concluded that others were advancing on its outskirts in a encircling movement. In his evening address on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the combat in the city and “successes in the elimination of the invading forces.”

Zelenskyy Reveals Strengthened Air Defence Network

Zelenskyy, who has been urging his allies for more air defense systems to hold off Russia’s attacks, stated on Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air defense capabilities with Germany’s support. “We've boosted the U.S.-made Patriot element of our Ukrainian air defence,” he said, mentioning the sophisticated U.S.-made air-defence systems. Not offering further information, the Ukraine's leader specifically thanked Berlin and its leader, Friedrich Merz, for gratitude.

Moscow's Strikes Kill Innocents, Cut Electricity

Moscow's drones and rockets targeting Ukrainian territory took the lives of no fewer than 6 individuals, including two children, and disrupted electricity to tens of thousands of households, authorities said on this past Sunday. Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, said the office of the country's chief prosecutor. The children were male minors aged eleven and 14, said Ukraine’s ombudsman. The attacks cut power to the entire east Donetsk area as well as nearly 58 thousand homes in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders announced. Ukraine’s Eastern military unit confirmed some of its personnel were killed in one of the enemy attacks on the region.