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Ex-President Trump remarked on Sunday that he was not really considering providing Ukraine with advanced Tomahawk missiles. After being asked by a journalist aboard Air Force One, he responded, “No, not currently.” Recent accounts had suggested the Pentagon told the White House that American stockpiles of Tomahawks were ample to allow such a delivery.

Ukrainian Defense Efforts Continue Without Weapon Lack

Although Ukrainian forces has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to execute long-range strikes against Russian targets, it has still managed to wage a effective operation using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and rockets against Moscow's armed and strategic objectives, such as oil depots and refineries. This past Sunday, a Kyiv's airstrike hit the Tuapse oil port on the coast, igniting a blaze and damaging two ships, according to Moscow officials. Nearby Russian airports in the region also had to be closed.

Turkey Oil Plants Turn to Non-Russian Crude Supplies

Ankara's biggest oil refineries are boosting purchases of alternative crude in response to the recent western sanctions on Russia, as reported by market sources. Turkey is a significant buyer of oil from Russia, along with Beijing and India, but refiners are following New Delhi's example in cutting back imports.

SOCAR Turkey Plant Expands Crude Procurement

One of the largest Turkey's refineries, the STAR refinery, operated by Azeri company SOCAR, has lately purchased four shipments of crude from Iraqi, Kazakh, and other non-Russian suppliers for December delivery, as per insiders. This represent approximately tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of alternative supply, depending on cargo size. By comparison, Russian crude accounted for nearly the entirety of the plant's supply in October and September, amounting to approximately 210,000 bpd, according to market information. SOCAR refused to comment.

Another Major Refiner Also Boosting Alternative Buys

Another leading Turkish oil processor – Tupras refinery – was also increasing purchases of non-Russian types of crude, as stated by two insiders. The company was also likely to in the near future entirely eliminate imports from Russia at a key facility of its two major Turkish refineries to continue fuel shipments to the EU without breaching the European Union's incoming sanctions. The refiner declined to comment to a inquiry for comment.

Ukrainian Deploys Elite Units to Pokrovsk

Ukraine has sent special forces to the heavily contested east city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to push back an fierce Moscow's offensive involving thousands of soldiers, as stated by Ukraine's senior military leader. Pokrovsk, called “the gateway to Donetsk,” is located on a major logistical route for the Kyiv's military and has been under Moscow’s sights for more than a year as Moscow aims to control the whole east Donetsk region.

Latest Updates in the City

At least two hundred Russian troops had breached the city's defences, Kyiv reported last week, while military experts assessed that additional forces were closing in on its perimeter in a encircling maneuver. In his evening speech on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the fighting in the city and “successes in the elimination of the occupiers.”

Ukrainian President Announces Enhanced Air Defence System

Zelenskyy, who has been urging his allies for more air defences to counter Moscow's strikes, stated on this past Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air-defence network with Germany’s assistance. “We have boosted the Patriot component of our national air defence,” Zelenskyy declared, mentioning the sophisticated American air-defence systems. Without offering further information, the Ukraine's leader specifically thanked Berlin and its leader, the German chancellor, for thanks.

Moscow's Strikes Claim Civilians, Disrupt Power

Moscow's drones and missiles targeting Ukrainian territory took the lives of at least six people, among them 2 minors, and cut power to tens of thousands of households, officials said on Sunday. Russian forces struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the representatives of the country's prosecutor general. The children were two boys aged eleven and 14, said Ukraine’s human rights commissioner. Russia’s attacks cut power to the whole eastern Donetsk area as well as nearly 58,000 households in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders announced. Ukraine’s Vostok army group said some of its personnel were killed in one of the enemy attacks on the region.