🔗 Share this article

FormerPresident Donald Trump stated on Sunday that he was not really contemplating supplying Ukraine with advanced Tomahawk missiles. In response to a query by a reporter on his plane, he responded, “No, not really.” Recent reports had indicated the U.S. Department of Defense told the White House that U.S. stockpiles of Tomahawks were sufficient to enable such a transfer.

Ukraine's Defense Actions Persist Without Missile Lack

Although Ukraine has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to carry out far-reaching attacks against Russia, it has nonetheless managed to wage a successful campaign using its own unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles against Russian armed and strategic objectives, including oil depots and refineries. This past Sunday, a Ukrainian airstrike struck the Tuapse oil port on the Black Sea, causing a blaze and harming two vessels, as stated by Russian officials. Nearby Russian airports in the area also had to be shut down.

Turkey Oil Plants Shift to Non-Russian Oil Sources

Turkey's largest oil refining facilities are increasing procurement of non-Russian crude in response to the recent western restrictions on Russia, as reported by market insiders. Turkey is a major purchaser of oil from Russia, together with Beijing and India, but processing companies are following New Delhi's lead in cutting back imports.

SOCAR Turkey Plant Diversifies Crude Procurement

One of the largest Turkish refining plants, the STAR refinery, owned by Azerbaijani firm SOCAR, has lately acquired four shipments of crude from Iraq, Kazakh, and additional alternative producers for year-end delivery, as per insiders. This represent approximately tens of thousands of barrels daily of alternative crude, depending on shipment volume. In contrast, Russian crude accounted for nearly the entirety of the plant's crude intake in recent months, amounting to approximately 210,000 bpd, according to market information. SOCAR declined to provide a statement.

Another Major Refiner Likewise Boosting Non-Russian Purchases

The other leading Turkish oil processor – Tupras – was also raising acquisitions of alternative types of crude, according to two sources. Tupras was also expected to soon completely phase out imports from Russia at one of its two major domestic plants to maintain petroleum exports to the EU without breaching the European Union's upcoming restrictions. Tupras declined to comment to a inquiry for comment.

Ukrainian Sends Elite Units to Eastern City

Kyiv has deployed elite troops to the heavily contested eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to repel an intense Moscow's assault comprising thousands of troops, as stated by Ukraine's senior commander. The city, called “the entrance to Donetsk,” lies on a major supply route for the Kyiv's army and has been under Moscow’s crosshairs for more than a year as Moscow pushes to control the entire east Donetsk region.

Latest Updates in the City

At least 200 Moscow's soldiers had penetrated Pokrovsk’s defences, Kyiv said last week, while military experts assessed that others were advancing on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped maneuver. In his evening speech on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the fighting in Pokrovsk and “successes in the destruction of the occupiers.”

Ukrainian President Announces Strengthened Air Defence Network

The president, who has been pushing his allies for more air defences to counter Moscow's strikes, announced on Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air defense network with Berlin's support. “We've boosted the Patriot element of our Ukrainian air defense,” Zelenskyy said, mentioning the sophisticated American air-defence systems. Without providing additional information, the Ukraine's leader specifically thanked Berlin and its leader, Friedrich Merz, for thanks.

Moscow's Strikes Claim Innocents, Disrupt Electricity

Moscow's drones and rockets targeting Ukraine took the lives of no fewer than six people, including two children, and cut power to tens of thousands of residents, officials reported on this past Sunday. Moscow's military attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, according to the representatives of the country's prosecutor general. The children were male minors aged eleven and fourteen, stated Ukraine’s ombudsman. Russia’s attacks cut electricity to the whole eastern Donetsk region as well as almost 58 thousand households in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their governors said. The Eastern military unit said some of its members were killed in one of the enemy attacks on Dnipropetrovsk.