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FormerPresident Trump remarked this past Sunday that he was not really considering sending Ukrainian forces with advanced Tomahawk missiles. In response to a query by a reporter aboard Air Force One, he responded, “No, not really.” Earlier accounts had claimed the U.S. Department of Defense informed the White House that American inventories of Tomahawks were adequate to enable this delivery.

Ukraine's Military Actions Persist Without Missile Lack

While Ukraine has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to conduct long-range attacks against Russian targets, it has nonetheless managed to conduct a effective campaign using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and rockets against Moscow's armed and key targets, including fuel storage facilities and refineries. This past Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack hit the Tuapse oil port on the Black Sea, causing a fire and harming two vessels, according to Moscow authorities. Adjacent Russian airports in the region also had to be shut down.

Turkey Oil Plants Shift to Alternative Crude Supplies

Ankara's biggest oil refineries are increasing procurement of alternative crude in response to the recent western restrictions on Moscow, according to industry insiders. The country is a significant purchaser of Russian crude, together with China and India, but processing companies are mirroring India's lead in reducing imports.

STAR Refinery Diversifies Crude Procurement

A major Turkey's refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), operated by Azerbaijani firm SOCAR, has recently acquired multiple cargoes of crude from Iraqi, Kazakhstan, and other non-Russian producers for year-end arrival, according to sources. This amount to roughly 77,000 to 129,000 barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian crude, depending on shipment volume. By comparison, Russian crude accounted for virtually the entirety of the STAR refinery's crude intake in recent months, amounting to about 210 thousand barrels per day, based on market information. SOCAR refused to provide a statement.

Another Major Refiner Likewise Increasing Non-Russian Buys

The other major Turkish refiner – Tupras – was also raising purchases of alternative grades of crude, according to two insiders. The company was furthermore expected to in the near future entirely eliminate Russian crude at one of its two main Turkish plants to continue petroleum shipments to Europe without breaching the European Union's upcoming sanctions. Tupras did not respond to a request for comment.

Ukraine Deploys Elite Units to Eastern City

Ukraine has sent special forces to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to repel an intense Moscow's assault involving a large number of soldiers, according to Kyiv’s top military leader. Pokrovsk, called “the gateway to Donetsk,” lies on a major logistical route for the Ukrainian army and has been under Moscow’s crosshairs for over a year as Russia aims to seize the whole east Donetsk region.

Latest Updates in Pokrovsk

No fewer than 200 Russian troops had breached Pokrovsk’s defensive lines, Kyiv said last week, while analysts concluded that others were closing in on its perimeter in a encircling maneuver. In his evening address on this past Sunday, the Ukrainian president mentioned the combat in the city and “results in the elimination of the occupiers.”

Zelenskyy Announces Enhanced Air Defence System

The president, who has been pushing his allies for additional air defense systems to counter Russia’s attacks, stated 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 Ukrainian air defense,” he said, mentioning the advanced American air-defence systems. Without providing additional information, the Ukrainian leader specifically thanked Germany and its chancellor, the German chancellor, for thanks.

Moscow's Strikes Claim Innocents, Cut Electricity

Moscow's drones and rockets targeting Ukraine killed no fewer than six people, including 2 minors, and disrupted power to tens of thousands of households, officials reported on Sunday. Moscow's military struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, according to the office of the country's prosecutor general. The children were two boys of ages eleven and fourteen, stated the nation's ombudsman. The attacks cut electricity to the entire east Donetsk region as well as nearly 58 thousand 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 attacks on the region.