🔗 Share this article

FormerPresident Donald Trump indicated on Sunday that he is not seriously planning supplying Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. In response to a query by a reporter on Air Force One, he replied, “No, not currently.” Earlier accounts had indicated the U.S. Department of Defense told the administration that U.S. inventories of Tomahawks were adequate to allow such a transfer.

Ukrainian Defense Actions Persist Without Weapon Lack

While Ukrainian forces has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to carry out far-reaching attacks against Russian targets, it has nonetheless managed to conduct a successful campaign using its own unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles against Moscow's armed and strategic targets, such as fuel storage facilities and refineries. This past Sunday, a Ukrainian airstrike hit the Tuapse oil port on the coast, causing a blaze and harming two ships, as stated by Moscow authorities. Nearby Russian airports in the area also had to be shut down.

Turkey Oil Plants Turn to Alternative Oil Supplies

Turkey's biggest oil refining facilities 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 Russian crude, along with Beijing and New Delhi, but processing companies are mirroring India's example in cutting back imports.

SOCAR Turkey Refinery Diversifies Crude Sources

A major Turkish refining plants, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), operated by Azerbaijani firm SOCAR, has recently acquired four shipments of crude from Iraqi, Kazakhstan, and additional non-Russian suppliers for year-end delivery, according to insiders. These purchases amount to roughly tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of alternative crude, varying by shipment volume. In contrast, oil from Russia made up nearly all of the STAR refinery's supply in recent months, totaling about 210 thousand bpd, according to trade information. SOCAR refused to comment.

Another Major Refiner Likewise Increasing Alternative Purchases

The other leading Turkish refiner – Tupras – was additionally raising purchases of non-Russian types of crude, as stated by multiple sources. The company was furthermore likely to soon entirely phase out imports from Russia at one of its primary major Turkish plants to continue fuel exports to the EU without breaching the EU’s incoming sanctions. The refiner declined to comment to a inquiry for comment.

Ukrainian Sends Elite Units to Eastern City

Ukraine has sent special forces to the heavily contested eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an fierce Moscow's offensive comprising a large number of troops, according to Kyiv’s senior military leader. The city, dubbed “the entrance to Donetsk,” lies on a major supply route for the Kyiv's military and has been in Russia's crosshairs for over a twelve months as Moscow aims to control the whole east Donetsk region.

Recent Updates in Pokrovsk

At least two hundred Moscow's soldiers had penetrated Pokrovsk’s defences, Ukrainian officials reported recently, while military experts assessed that others were advancing on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped maneuver. In his nightly speech on this past Sunday, the Ukrainian president spoke of the combat in the city and “results in the destruction of the occupiers.”

Ukrainian President Announces Enhanced Air Defence System

The president, who has been urging his allies for additional air defences to counter Russia’s strikes, announced on this past Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air defense network with Berlin's support. “We've boosted the Patriot component of our national air defence,” Zelenskyy declared, mentioning the sophisticated U.S.-made defense systems. Without offering further details, the Ukrainian leader singled out Berlin and its chancellor, the German chancellor, for gratitude.

Moscow's Strikes Claim Innocents, Disrupt Electricity

Moscow's drones and missiles fired at Ukraine killed at least six individuals, among them 2 minors, and cut electricity to thousands of households, officials said on this past Sunday. Russian forces struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, according to the office of the country's prosecutor general. The children were male minors aged 11 and fourteen, said Ukraine’s ombudsman. Russia’s strikes disrupted power to the entire east Donetsk area as well as almost 58 thousand households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their governors announced. The Eastern army group said a number of its personnel were killed in a particular of the Russian strikes on the region.