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Ex-President Trump stated on Sunday that he was not seriously considering supplying Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. When questioned by a reporter on Air Force One, he answered, “No, not at the moment.” Earlier reports had indicated the Pentagon told the administration that U.S. stockpiles of Tomahawks were sufficient to enable this transfer.

Ukraine's Military Actions Persist Without Weapon Shortage

Although Ukraine has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to carry out far-reaching attacks against Russian targets, it has still succeeded to conduct a successful campaign using its own drones and rockets against Russian armed and key targets, including fuel storage facilities and processing plants. This past Sunday, a Kyiv's drone attack hit the Tuapse oil port on the coast, igniting a fire and harming two ships, as stated by Russian officials. Nearby Russian airports in the region also had to be shut down.

Turkey Oil Plants Shift to Non-Russian Crude Sources

Turkey's biggest oil refining facilities are increasing purchases of non-Russian crude in response to the latest international restrictions on Russia, according to market insiders. Turkey is a major purchaser of Russian crude, along with Beijing and New Delhi, but refiners are mirroring India's example in cutting back supplies.

STAR Plant Expands Oil Procurement

A major Turkey's refineries, the STAR refinery, owned by Azeri company SOCAR, has recently acquired four shipments of crude from Iraq, Kazakh, and other alternative suppliers for December delivery, as per insiders. These purchases amount to approximately tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of alternative supply, varying by cargo size. In contrast, oil from Russia accounted for virtually the entirety of the plant's supply in October and September, totaling approximately 210,000 barrels per day, based on trade information. SOCAR refused to comment.

Tupras Likewise Increasing Alternative Buys

The other leading Turkish oil processor – Tupras – was also increasing purchases of non-Russian types of crude, according to two insiders. Tupras was also expected to in the near future completely eliminate Russian crude at a key facility of its primary major Turkish refineries to maintain fuel exports to Europe without breaching the EU’s upcoming sanctions. Tupras did not respond to a request for comment.

Ukrainian Deploys Special Forces to Eastern City

Ukraine has deployed elite troops to the embattled east city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an intense Moscow's offensive comprising thousands of soldiers, as stated by Ukraine's top military leader. Pokrovsk, dubbed “the gateway to Donetsk,” lies on a major logistical route for the Kyiv's military and has been in Russia's sights for over a year as Moscow pushes to control the whole east Donetsk area.

Recent Updates in the City

No fewer than 200 Moscow's soldiers had breached the city's defences, Ukrainian officials reported last week, while military experts assessed that others were closing in on its perimeter in a encircling movement. In his nightly address on Sunday, the Ukrainian president mentioned the combat in the city and “successes in the destruction of the occupiers.”

Zelenskyy Reveals Strengthened Air Defence Network

The president, who has been urging his allies for additional air defences to counter Moscow's strikes, stated on Sunday that the country had reinforced its air-defence network with Berlin's support. “We have boosted the Patriot element of our Ukrainian air defense,” he said, mentioning the advanced U.S.-made air-defence systems. Without providing additional information, the Ukraine's president singled out Berlin and its leader, Friedrich Merz, for gratitude.

Moscow's Strikes Kill Innocents, Disrupt Power

Russian unmanned aircraft and missiles targeting Ukraine took the lives of no fewer than 6 individuals, among them 2 minors, and cut power to thousands of residents, authorities said on Sunday. Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the representatives of the country's chief prosecutor. The children were male minors aged 11 and 14, said the nation's human rights commissioner. The attacks disrupted power to the whole east Donetsk region as well as nearly 58,000 households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. Ukraine’s Eastern army group confirmed a number of its personnel were killed in a particular of the enemy strikes on Dnipropetrovsk.