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Ex-President Trump remarked on Sunday that he is not actively considering providing Ukraine with advanced Tomahawk cruise missiles. In response to a query by a journalist aboard his plane, he responded, “No, not currently.” Recent accounts had suggested the U.S. Department of Defense informed the administration that U.S. inventories of Tomahawks were sufficient to enable this delivery.

Ukraine's Military Actions Continue Without Missile Shortage

While Ukraine has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to carry out far-reaching strikes against Russian targets, it has nonetheless succeeded to wage a successful operation using its own unmanned aerial vehicles and rockets against Russian military and key objectives, such as oil depots and processing plants. On Sunday, a Ukrainian airstrike hit the Tuapse oil port on the Black Sea, igniting a blaze and harming two ships, as stated by Moscow officials. Nearby Russian airports in the region also had to be closed.

Turkey Oil Plants Shift to Non-Russian Crude Supplies

Turkey's biggest oil refineries are boosting purchases of alternative crude in response to the recent international restrictions on Russia, according to market sources. The country is a major buyer of oil from Russia, along with Beijing and New Delhi, but processing companies are following India's example in cutting back supplies.

STAR Plant Diversifies Crude Sources

A major Turkey's refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), operated by Azerbaijani company SOCAR, has lately purchased multiple shipments of crude from Iraqi, Kazakhstan, and additional alternative producers for year-end arrival, according to sources. These purchases amount to roughly 77,000 to 129,000 barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian supply, depending on cargo size. By comparison, oil from Russia made up virtually all of the STAR refinery's crude intake in recent months, amounting to approximately 210 thousand bpd, according to trade information. SOCAR declined to provide a statement.

Another Major Refiner Also Boosting Non-Russian Purchases

Another major Turkish oil processor – Tupras refinery – was additionally increasing purchases of alternative types of crude, as stated by multiple insiders. Tupras was also expected to soon entirely phase out Russian crude at a key facility of its primary main Turkish refineries to maintain fuel exports to the EU without breaching the EU’s upcoming sanctions. The refiner declined to comment to a request for a statement.

Ukraine Deploys Elite Units to Eastern City

Ukraine has deployed special forces to the heavily contested east city of Pokrovsk in an effort to repel an intense Moscow's assault comprising thousands of soldiers, according to Ukraine's top commander. Pokrovsk, called “the entrance to Donetsk,” lies on a key supply route for the Kyiv's military and has been under Russia's crosshairs for over a year as Russia pushes to control the entire eastern Donetsk region.

Recent Developments in the City

At least 200 Russian troops had breached Pokrovsk’s defensive lines, Ukrainian officials said last week, while military experts concluded that others were closing in on its perimeter in a encircling maneuver. In his nightly address on this past Sunday, the Ukrainian president spoke of the fighting in the city and “successes in the destruction of the invading forces.”

Ukrainian President Announces Enhanced Air Defense Network

Zelenskyy, who has been pushing his allies for additional air defences to counter Moscow's strikes, announced on this past Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air defense network with Germany’s assistance. “We have strengthened the U.S.-made Patriot component of our national air defence,” Zelenskyy declared, mentioning the advanced American defense systems. Not providing further details, the Ukraine's president singled out Germany and its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, for thanks.

Russian Attacks Claim Civilians, Cut Electricity

Russian unmanned aircraft and rockets fired at Ukraine took the lives of no fewer than 6 people, among them two children, and disrupted power to tens of thousands of households, authorities reported on this past Sunday. Moscow's military attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, according to the representatives of the country's chief prosecutor. The victims were two boys aged eleven and 14, stated Ukraine’s ombudsman. The strikes disrupted electricity to the entire east Donetsk region as well as almost 58 thousand households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their governors said. Ukraine’s Vostok army group confirmed some of its personnel were killed in a particular of the enemy strikes on the region.