Donald Trump Affirms He Isn't Planning Providing Long-Range Cruise Missiles to Kyiv.

FormerPresident Donald Trump stated on Sunday that he was not really planning providing Ukraine with advanced Tomahawk missiles. When questioned by a journalist aboard his plane, he answered, “No, not currently.” Recent accounts had suggested the Pentagon told the administration that U.S. stockpiles of Tomahawks were ample to enable such a delivery.

Ukraine's Military Actions Continue Despite Missile Shortage

While Ukraine has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to execute far-reaching strikes against Russian targets, it has still succeeded to wage a effective operation using its domestically-produced drones and rockets against Moscow's armed and strategic objectives, such as fuel storage facilities and processing plants. On Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack hit the Tuapse oil port on the Black Sea, causing a blaze and harming two vessels, as stated by Moscow authorities. Adjacent Russian airports in the region also had to be closed.

Turkish Oil Plants Shift to Alternative Oil Supplies

Ankara's largest oil refining facilities are boosting purchases of non-Russian crude in reaction to the recent international sanctions on Russia, as reported by industry sources. Turkey is a major purchaser of oil from Russia, together with Beijing and India, but refiners are mirroring India's lead in cutting back supplies.

STAR Refinery Diversifies Crude Procurement

One of the largest Turkish refineries, the STAR refinery, operated by Azerbaijani company SOCAR, has lately acquired four shipments of crude from Iraq, Kazakh, and additional alternative producers for year-end delivery, according to sources. This amount to roughly 77,000 to 129,000 barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian supply, varying by shipment volume. In contrast, oil from Russia made up nearly the entirety of the STAR refinery's supply in recent months, totaling approximately 210,000 barrels per day, based on trade data. SOCAR declined to provide a statement.

Tupras Also Boosting Alternative Buys

The other leading Turkey's refiner – Tupras refinery – was additionally increasing purchases of non-Russian types of crude, as stated by multiple insiders. The company was also likely to in the near future completely eliminate imports from Russia at one of its two main Turkish plants to continue petroleum exports to the EU without violating the EU’s upcoming restrictions. The refiner did not respond to a inquiry for comment.

Ukraine Sends Elite Units to Pokrovsk

Ukraine has deployed elite troops to the embattled east city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an intense Moscow's assault involving a large number of soldiers, according to Kyiv’s senior commander. The city, called “the gateway to Donetsk,” is located on a major supply route for the Ukrainian army and has been in Moscow’s crosshairs for more than a twelve months as Moscow aims to control the whole eastern Donetsk area.

Recent Updates in Pokrovsk

At least two hundred Russian troops had breached the city's defensive lines, Kyiv said last week, while analysts concluded that additional forces were advancing on its outskirts in a pincer-shaped movement. In his nightly address on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the fighting in Pokrovsk and “results in the destruction of the occupiers.”

Zelenskyy Reveals Strengthened Air Defence System

Zelenskyy, who has been pushing his allies for additional air defense systems to hold off Russia’s strikes, stated on this past Sunday that the country had reinforced its air defense capabilities with Germany’s support. “We've boosted the U.S.-made Patriot element of our national air defence,” he declared, mentioning the sophisticated U.S.-made air-defence systems. Without providing further information, the Ukraine's leader singled out Germany and its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, for gratitude.

Moscow's Attacks Claim Civilians, Cut Power

Russian drones and rockets targeting Ukraine took the lives of at least six individuals, among them 2 children, and cut electricity to tens of thousands of households, authorities said on Sunday. Moscow's military struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, said the office of the country's prosecutor general. The victims were two boys aged eleven and 14, stated Ukraine’s human rights commissioner. The attacks disrupted power to the whole east Donetsk region as well as almost 58 thousand homes in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their governors announced. The Eastern army group confirmed a number of its personnel were killed in a particular of the Russian attacks on Dnipropetrovsk.