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Ex-President Donald Trump stated on Sunday that he was not actively planning sending Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. After being asked by a reporter on his plane, he replied, “No, not at the moment.” Recent reports had suggested the U.S. Department of Defense told the administration that U.S. inventories of Tomahawks were adequate to enable this transfer.

Ukraine's Defense Efforts Persist Without Missile Lack

While Ukrainian forces has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to carry out far-reaching attacks against Russia, it has nonetheless managed to conduct a successful operation using its own drones and rockets against Russian military and strategic objectives, including oil depots and refineries. On Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack hit the Tuapse oil port on the Black Sea, igniting a fire and damaging two ships, according to Moscow authorities. Nearby airfields in the region also had to be closed.

Turkish Refineries Shift to Non-Russian Oil Sources

Turkey's biggest oil refineries are increasing purchases of alternative crude in reaction to the latest international sanctions on Moscow, according to market sources. The country is a major purchaser of Russian crude, together with Beijing and New Delhi, but refiners are following India's example in reducing imports.

STAR Refinery Expands Crude Procurement

A major Turkish refining plants, the STAR refinery, owned by Azerbaijani company SOCAR, has recently purchased four shipments of crude from Iraqi, Kazakh, and additional alternative producers for year-end delivery, as per sources. This represent roughly 77,000 to 129,000 barrels daily of non-Russian supply, varying by cargo size. By comparison, Russian crude accounted for virtually the entirety of the STAR refinery's supply in recent months, totaling about 210 thousand barrels per day, based on trade information. SOCAR declined to provide a statement.

Another Major Refiner Also Increasing Non-Russian Buys

Another major Turkey's refiner – Tupras refinery – was additionally increasing purchases of alternative types of crude, as stated by multiple insiders. Tupras was also likely to soon entirely eliminate imports from Russia at one of its primary main domestic refineries to maintain petroleum shipments to the EU without breaching the EU’s upcoming restrictions. Tupras did not respond to a inquiry for a statement.

Ukraine Deploys Elite Units to Eastern City

Ukraine has deployed elite troops to the heavily contested eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to repel an intense Moscow's assault involving thousands of troops, as stated by Kyiv’s top military leader. The city, dubbed “the gateway to Donetsk,” lies on a key logistical route for the Kyiv's army and has been under Moscow’s crosshairs for more than a year as Russia aims to control the entire eastern Donetsk region.

Latest Updates in Pokrovsk

At least two hundred Moscow's troops had breached Pokrovsk’s defences, Ukrainian officials reported recently, while military experts concluded that additional forces were advancing on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped maneuver. In his evening speech on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the fighting in Pokrovsk and “results in the elimination of the invading forces.”

Ukrainian President Reveals Strengthened Air Defense Network

Zelenskyy, who has been pushing his partners for more air defences to hold off Moscow's strikes, stated on Sunday that Ukraine had strengthened its air-defence network with Germany’s support. “We have boosted the Patriot element of our national air defence,” Zelenskyy declared, mentioning the advanced American air-defence systems. Not offering additional details, the Ukraine's leader singled out Germany and its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, for gratitude.

Moscow's Attacks Claim Civilians, Cut Power

Russian unmanned aircraft and missiles fired at Ukraine killed no fewer than six people, among them two minors, and cut power to thousands of households, officials reported on this past Sunday. Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, said the representatives of the country's prosecutor general. The children were male minors aged 11 and 14, stated the nation's ombudsman. Russia’s strikes cut electricity to the whole east Donetsk region as well as nearly 58 thousand homes in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their governors said. Ukraine’s Eastern military unit said a number of its members were killed in a particular of the Russian strikes on Dnipropetrovsk.