Donald Trump Says He Isn't Contemplating Providing Long-Range Cruise Missiles to Kyiv.

Ex-President Trump indicated on Sunday that he was not actively contemplating sending Ukrainian forces with advanced Tomahawk missiles. After being asked by a journalist aboard Air Force One, he responded, “No, not at the moment.” Earlier accounts had suggested the U.S. Department of Defense told the White House that U.S. inventories of Tomahawks were adequate to allow such a delivery.

Ukrainian Defense Actions Persist Without Weapon Lack

Although Ukrainian forces has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to execute long-range attacks against Russia, it has nonetheless managed to conduct a successful operation using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and rockets against Russian armed and strategic objectives, including oil depots and processing plants. On Sunday, a Kyiv's drone attack struck the Tuapse oil port on the Black Sea, igniting a blaze and damaging two vessels, according to Moscow officials. Nearby airfields in the region also had to be closed.

Turkey Oil Plants Turn to Non-Russian Crude Supplies

Ankara's biggest oil refining facilities are boosting purchases of non-Russian crude in reaction to the latest international sanctions on Moscow, as reported by market insiders. Turkey is a major buyer of oil from Russia, along with China and India, but refiners are following India's lead in reducing imports.

STAR Refinery Diversifies Oil Procurement

One of the largest Turkey's refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), owned by Azerbaijani firm SOCAR, has recently acquired multiple cargoes of crude from Iraq, Kazakh, and additional alternative suppliers for December arrival, according to sources. These purchases amount to approximately tens of thousands of barrels daily of non-Russian supply, varying by cargo size. By comparison, oil from Russia accounted for nearly all of the plant's crude intake in October and September, amounting to about 210,000 bpd, according to trade information. SOCAR declined to comment.

Another Major Refiner Also Increasing Non-Russian Purchases

Another leading Turkey's oil processor – Tupras – was also raising acquisitions of non-Russian types of crude, as stated by multiple sources. The company was furthermore expected to in the near future completely eliminate Russian crude at a key facility of its two main domestic plants to continue petroleum exports to the EU without violating the European Union's incoming sanctions. Tupras declined to comment to a inquiry for a statement.

Ukraine Deploys Special Forces to Eastern City

Ukraine has sent special forces to the heavily contested eastern city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to repel an fierce Moscow's assault involving a large number of soldiers, as stated by Kyiv’s top commander. The city, dubbed “the entrance to Donetsk,” lies on a key logistical route for the Ukrainian army and has been under Russia's sights for more than a twelve months as Moscow aims to seize the entire eastern Donetsk area.

Recent Developments in the City

At least 200 Moscow's troops had penetrated Pokrovsk’s defences, Kyiv said recently, while military experts concluded that others were advancing on its outskirts in a pincer-shaped movement. In his evening address on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the fighting in the city and “results in the destruction of the occupiers.”

Ukrainian President Reveals Enhanced Air Defense System

The president, who has been pushing his allies for additional air defense systems to hold off Moscow's attacks, stated on this past Sunday that Ukraine had strengthened its air-defence capabilities with Berlin's assistance. “We've strengthened the U.S.-made Patriot component of our Ukrainian air defense,” Zelenskyy declared, referring to the sophisticated U.S.-made defense systems. Not offering additional information, the Ukraine's president specifically thanked Germany and its leader, Friedrich Merz, for gratitude.

Moscow's Strikes Claim Civilians, Cut Electricity

Moscow's drones and missiles fired at Ukraine killed no fewer than six individuals, including 2 minors, and disrupted power to tens of thousands of households, authorities said on this past Sunday. Russian forces struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, according to the office of Ukraine’s chief prosecutor. The victims were two boys of ages 11 and fourteen, stated Ukraine’s ombudsman. The attacks cut electricity to the whole east Donetsk region as well as almost 58,000 households in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their governors said. Ukraine’s Eastern army group confirmed a number of its members were killed in one of the Russian attacks on the region.