Donald Trump Says He Isn't Planning Providing Long-Range Missiles to Ukraine.

Ex-President Donald Trump indicated this past Sunday that he is not seriously planning providing Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles. When questioned by a journalist on his plane, he responded, “No, not at the moment.” Earlier reports had indicated the Pentagon told the White House that American stockpiles of Tomahawks were ample to enable this delivery.

Ukraine's Military Efforts Continue Without Missile Lack

While Ukrainian forces has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to carry out long-range attacks against Russian targets, it has still managed to conduct a successful campaign using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles against Russian armed and strategic objectives, such as oil depots and refineries. On Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack struck the port facility 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 closed.

Turkey Oil Plants Turn to Non-Russian Crude Supplies

Turkey's largest oil refining facilities are boosting procurement of non-Russian crude in reaction to the recent international sanctions on Russia, according to market sources. The country is a major purchaser of oil from Russia, together with China and New Delhi, but refiners are mirroring New Delhi's lead in cutting back supplies.

SOCAR Turkey Plant Diversifies Oil Sources

One of the largest Turkish refining plants, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), operated by Azerbaijani company SOCAR, has lately purchased four shipments of crude from Iraqi, Kazakhstan, and other non-Russian suppliers for year-end arrival, as per insiders. These purchases represent approximately tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian supply, depending on cargo size. By comparison, oil from Russia accounted for virtually the entirety of the plant's crude intake in October and September, totaling about 210 thousand barrels per day, based on trade data. SOCAR declined to comment.

Tupras Also Increasing Non-Russian Buys

The other leading Turkish oil processor – Tupras refinery – was additionally increasing acquisitions of alternative types of crude, according to two insiders. Tupras was furthermore expected to soon entirely eliminate Russian crude at one of its primary main domestic plants to maintain petroleum shipments to Europe without breaching the European Union's upcoming restrictions. Tupras did not respond to a request for a statement.

Ukraine Deploys Special Forces to Eastern City

Kyiv has deployed elite troops to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to push back an fierce Moscow's offensive comprising thousands of troops, according to Ukraine's top commander. Pokrovsk, dubbed “the entrance to Donetsk,” is located on a major logistical route for the Ukrainian army and has been in Russia's sights for over a twelve months as Russia aims to seize the whole east Donetsk area.

Latest Developments in Pokrovsk

No fewer than 200 Russian soldiers had breached Pokrovsk’s defences, Kyiv reported recently, while analysts assessed that additional forces were closing in on its outskirts in a encircling movement. In his evening address on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the fighting in Pokrovsk and “successes in the elimination of the occupiers.”

Ukrainian President Announces Enhanced Air Defence System

The president, who has been pushing his partners for additional air defense systems to hold off Russia’s attacks, announced on this past Sunday that Ukraine had strengthened its air-defence network with Berlin's assistance. “We've strengthened the Patriot component of our national air defence,” Zelenskyy declared, referring to the advanced American defense systems. Not providing further details, the Ukrainian leader specifically thanked Germany and its leader, the German chancellor, for thanks.

Russian Attacks Kill Innocents, Cut Power

Russian drones and missiles fired at Ukraine took the lives of at least 6 individuals, including two children, and disrupted power to tens of thousands of residents, officials said on this past Sunday. Moscow's military attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, said the representatives of the country's chief prosecutor. The victims were male minors aged 11 and 14, stated Ukraine’s ombudsman. Russia’s attacks disrupted electricity to the whole east Donetsk region as well as almost 58 thousand homes in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their governors said. Ukraine’s Eastern army group said a number of its members were killed in one of the enemy attacks on Dnipropetrovsk.