Trump Affirms He Isn't Contemplating Sending Long-Range Cruise Missiles to Kyiv.

Ex-President Trump stated on Sunday that he was not seriously considering supplying Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. In response to a query by a reporter aboard his plane, he answered, “No, not currently.” Recent reports had suggested the U.S. Department of Defense informed the White House that U.S. stockpiles of Tomahawks were ample to allow such a delivery.

Ukraine's Military Actions Continue Despite Missile Lack

Although Ukraine has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to execute long-range strikes against Russian targets, it has nonetheless succeeded to conduct a effective operation using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles against Moscow's armed and key objectives, including fuel storage facilities and refineries. This past Sunday, a Ukrainian airstrike hit the Tuapse oil port on the Black Sea, igniting a blaze and harming two vessels, as stated by Moscow authorities. Nearby Russian airports in the region also had to be closed.

Turkey Oil Plants Shift to Alternative Crude Supplies

Turkey's largest oil refineries are increasing purchases of non-Russian crude in response to the recent international sanctions on Russia, as reported by industry sources. The country is a significant buyer of oil from Russia, together with China and India, but refiners are mirroring India's lead in reducing supplies.

SOCAR Turkey Refinery Diversifies Crude Procurement

A major Turkish refining plants, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), operated by Azerbaijani firm SOCAR, has recently purchased four cargoes of crude from Iraq, Kazakhstan, and additional alternative producers for year-end delivery, according to sources. This amount to approximately 77,000 to 129,000 barrels per day (bpd) of alternative supply, depending on shipment volume. In contrast, oil from Russia accounted for nearly the entirety of the STAR refinery's supply in October and September, amounting to approximately 210,000 barrels per day, based on market data. SOCAR declined to provide a statement.

Another Major Refiner Likewise Increasing Alternative Purchases

Another major Turkish oil processor – Tupras – was additionally increasing acquisitions of alternative types of crude, according to two sources. The company was furthermore likely to in the near future entirely eliminate Russian crude at one of its two main Turkish plants to continue petroleum shipments to the EU without violating the European Union's incoming sanctions. Tupras declined to comment to a inquiry for comment.

Ukraine Deploys Special Forces to Eastern City

Kyiv has sent elite troops to the heavily contested eastern city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to push back an intense Russian assault involving thousands of soldiers, according to Kyiv’s senior commander. The city, dubbed “the gateway to Donetsk,” lies on a major supply line for the Ukrainian army and has been in Russia's sights for more than a year as Russia pushes to control the entire east Donetsk area.

Latest Updates in the City

No fewer than two hundred Russian soldiers had penetrated the city's defences, Kyiv reported recently, while analysts concluded that others were advancing on its perimeter in a encircling movement. In his evening speech on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the fighting in Pokrovsk and “results in the elimination of the occupiers.”

Zelenskyy Reveals Enhanced Air Defence System

The president, who has been urging his allies for additional air defense systems to hold off Moscow's attacks, stated on Sunday that the country had strengthened its air defense network with Germany’s support. “We have strengthened the Patriot element of our national air defense,” he said, referring to the sophisticated U.S.-made air-defence systems. Without offering additional details, the Ukraine's leader specifically thanked Berlin and its chancellor, the German chancellor, for gratitude.

Moscow's Strikes Kill Civilians, Disrupt Power

Moscow's unmanned aircraft and missiles targeting Ukraine took the lives of at least six individuals, among them two children, and disrupted power to thousands of residents, officials said on Sunday. Moscow's military attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, said the representatives of the country's prosecutor general. The victims were male minors of ages eleven and 14, said Ukraine’s human rights commissioner. Russia’s attacks cut electricity to the whole east Donetsk area as well as almost 58,000 homes in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. Ukraine’s Eastern military unit said some of its members were killed in one of the enemy strikes on the region.