Donald Trump Says He Isn't Planning Providing Long-Range Missiles to Ukraine.
Ex-President Donald Trump remarked on Sunday that he was not really considering sending Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk missiles. After being asked by a journalist on his plane, he responded, “No, not at the moment.” Recent reports had claimed the Pentagon informed the White House that American stockpiles of Tomahawks were adequate to allow such a transfer.
Ukraine's Military Actions Continue Without Weapon Lack
Although Ukrainian forces has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to execute far-reaching attacks against Russian targets, it has still managed to wage a successful operation using its domestically-produced drones and missiles against Russian military and strategic objectives, including oil depots and processing plants. On Sunday, a Kyiv's drone attack targeted the Tuapse oil port on the Black Sea, causing a fire and damaging two ships, as stated by Russian authorities. Nearby airfields in the region also had to be closed.
Turkey Refineries Turn to Non-Russian Oil Sources
Ankara's largest oil refineries are increasing purchases of alternative crude in response to the recent international restrictions on Moscow, as reported by market insiders. The country is a major purchaser of oil from Russia, along with Beijing and New Delhi, but refiners are mirroring New Delhi's example in cutting back imports.
SOCAR Turkey Plant Expands Oil Procurement
A major Turkish refining plants, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), owned by Azerbaijani firm SOCAR, has lately acquired four cargoes of crude from Iraq, Kazakhstan, and other non-Russian producers for December delivery, according to insiders. These purchases amount to roughly tens of thousands of barrels daily of alternative crude, varying by cargo size. In contrast, Russian crude made up virtually all of the plant's supply in recent months, totaling about 210,000 barrels per day, based on market information. SOCAR declined to comment.
Another Major Refiner Likewise Boosting Alternative Buys
Another leading Turkish refiner – Tupras – was additionally raising acquisitions of alternative grades of crude, according to multiple insiders. The company was furthermore expected to soon entirely eliminate Russian crude at one of its two main Turkish plants to continue fuel shipments to Europe without breaching the European Union's incoming restrictions. Tupras declined to comment to a request for a statement.
Ukraine Sends Elite Units to Eastern City
Ukraine has sent elite troops to the embattled east city of Pokrovsk in an effort to repel an intense Moscow's assault comprising a large number of troops, as stated by Ukraine's senior military leader. The city, dubbed “the gateway to Donetsk,” is located on a key logistical route for the Kyiv's military and has been in Moscow’s sights for over a year as Moscow aims to control the whole eastern Donetsk area.
Recent Updates in the City
No fewer than two hundred Moscow's troops had breached the city's defences, Ukrainian officials said recently, while analysts concluded that others were advancing on its outskirts in a pincer-shaped movement. In his evening speech on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the combat in the city and “results in the destruction of the occupiers.”
Zelenskyy Reveals Enhanced Air Defense Network
The president, who has been urging his allies for additional air defences to counter Russia’s strikes, announced on Sunday that the country had reinforced its air defense capabilities with Berlin's support. “We have boosted the Patriot element of our national air defense,” Zelenskyy said, referring to the sophisticated American defense systems. Not offering further details, the Ukrainian leader specifically thanked Germany and its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, for gratitude.
Moscow's Strikes Claim Civilians, Disrupt Electricity
Moscow's unmanned aircraft and missiles targeting Ukrainian territory killed at least six people, among them 2 children, and cut power to thousands of residents, officials said on Sunday. Moscow's military attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, said the representatives of Ukraine’s prosecutor general. The children were two boys aged eleven and fourteen, said the nation's ombudsman. The strikes cut electricity to the entire eastern Donetsk area as well as almost 58 thousand households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders announced. The Eastern army group confirmed a number of its members were killed in one of the enemy attacks on the region.
