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FormerPresident Donald Trump stated this past Sunday that he was not actively considering supplying Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. After being asked by a reporter aboard his plane, he answered, “No, not currently.” Earlier reports had indicated the U.S. Department of Defense informed the administration that U.S. inventories of Tomahawks were ample to allow this delivery.

Ukraine's Defense Efforts Persist Despite Missile Lack

While Ukraine has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to carry out far-reaching attacks against Russian targets, it has nonetheless succeeded to conduct a successful campaign using its own unmanned aerial vehicles and rockets against Russian armed and key targets, including oil depots and processing plants. This past Sunday, a Ukrainian 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 area also had to be shut down.

Turkish Refineries Turn to Alternative Oil Sources

Ankara's largest oil refining facilities are increasing procurement of alternative crude in reaction to the recent international restrictions on Russia, according to market insiders. The country is a significant purchaser of Russian crude, along with Beijing and India, but processing companies are following India's lead in cutting back supplies.

SOCAR Turkey Plant Diversifies Oil Procurement

One of the largest Turkish refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), owned by Azeri firm SOCAR, has recently purchased four cargoes of crude from Iraq, Kazakh, and additional alternative producers for year-end delivery, according to sources. This amount to approximately tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of alternative crude, depending on shipment volume. By comparison, Russian crude made up nearly all of the STAR refinery's crude intake in recent months, totaling about 210 thousand barrels per day, based on trade information. SOCAR declined to comment.

Tupras Likewise Boosting Non-Russian Purchases

Another leading Turkish oil processor – Tupras – was also raising purchases of alternative grades of crude, according to two sources. The company was furthermore expected to in the near future completely eliminate imports from Russia at one of its two main Turkish refineries to maintain fuel shipments to Europe without violating the European Union's incoming sanctions. The refiner did not respond to a inquiry for comment.

Ukrainian Sends Elite Units to Eastern City

Kyiv has sent elite troops to the embattled east city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an fierce Russian offensive involving thousands of troops, according to Ukraine's top military leader. Pokrovsk, dubbed “the gateway to Donetsk,” lies on a major logistical line for the Ukrainian army and has been under Moscow’s crosshairs for more than a year as Russia pushes to seize the entire east Donetsk area.

Latest Developments in the City

At least two hundred Russian soldiers had penetrated the city's defensive lines, Kyiv reported last week, while military experts assessed that additional forces were closing in on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped maneuver. In his evening speech on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the combat in the city and “successes in the destruction of the occupiers.”

Ukrainian President Announces Enhanced Air Defense System

Zelenskyy, who has been pushing his partners for additional air defences to counter Russia’s strikes, stated on Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air-defence capabilities with Germany’s support. “We have boosted the U.S.-made Patriot component of our Ukrainian air defence,” Zelenskyy said, mentioning the sophisticated American air-defence systems. Not providing additional details, the Ukrainian president singled out Germany and its chancellor, the German chancellor, for gratitude.

Russian Attacks Kill Innocents, Disrupt Power

Moscow's drones and missiles fired at Ukraine took the lives of no fewer than 6 people, among them 2 minors, and cut electricity to tens of thousands of households, officials reported on this past Sunday. Moscow's military attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, said the office of Ukraine’s chief prosecutor. The victims were male minors of ages eleven and fourteen, said Ukraine’s human rights commissioner. The strikes cut power to the entire eastern Donetsk area as well as almost 58,000 homes in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders announced. Ukraine’s Vostok army group confirmed some of its members were killed in one of the enemy strikes on Dnipropetrovsk.