Donald Trump Affirms He Is Not Contemplating Sending Tomahawk Cruise Missiles to Ukraine.
Ex-President Donald Trump indicated this past Sunday that he was not actively considering supplying Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk missiles. After being asked by a reporter on his plane, he replied, “No, not at the moment.” Earlier reports had indicated the Pentagon informed the administration that American inventories of Tomahawks were ample to enable this transfer.
Ukraine's Military Actions Persist Despite Missile Lack
Although Ukraine has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to conduct long-range attacks against Russia, it has nonetheless succeeded to conduct a effective campaign using its domestically-produced drones and rockets against Russian armed and strategic objectives, including fuel storage facilities and processing plants. On Sunday, a Ukrainian airstrike hit the Tuapse oil port on the Black Sea, igniting a fire and harming two ships, as stated by Russian officials. Nearby airfields in the region also had to be shut down.
Turkish Refineries Turn to Non-Russian Crude Sources
Turkey's largest oil refining facilities are increasing procurement of non-Russian crude in response to the latest international restrictions on Russia, according to industry insiders. Turkey is a significant buyer of Russian crude, along with Beijing and New Delhi, but refiners are following India's example in reducing supplies.
STAR Plant Expands Oil Sources
One of the largest Turkey's refining plants, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), operated by Azeri company SOCAR, has recently purchased four cargoes of crude from Iraq, Kazakh, and additional alternative suppliers for year-end delivery, as per insiders. This amount to roughly 77,000 to 129,000 barrels per day (bpd) of alternative supply, varying by shipment volume. In contrast, oil from Russia accounted for virtually the entirety of the plant's supply in October and September, amounting to approximately 210 thousand bpd, based on market data. SOCAR declined to comment.
Another Major Refiner Likewise Increasing Non-Russian Purchases
The other leading Turkish oil processor – Tupras refinery – was additionally raising acquisitions of non-Russian types of crude, according to multiple insiders. Tupras was also likely to in the near future entirely eliminate imports from Russia at one of its primary major domestic plants to maintain fuel shipments to the EU without violating the EU’s upcoming restrictions. Tupras declined to comment to a request for comment.
Ukraine Deploys Special Forces to Eastern City
Ukraine has sent special forces to the embattled east city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to push back an intense Russian assault involving thousands of troops, as stated by Kyiv’s senior commander. Pokrovsk, dubbed “the gateway to Donetsk,” is located on a major supply line for the Ukrainian army and has been under Russia's sights for more than a year as Moscow pushes to seize the whole east Donetsk region.
Latest Updates in the City
No fewer than 200 Moscow's soldiers had penetrated Pokrovsk’s defensive lines, Ukrainian officials said last week, while military experts assessed that others were closing in on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped maneuver. In his evening address on this past Sunday, the Ukrainian president mentioned the fighting in the city and “results in the destruction of the occupiers.”
Zelenskyy Reveals Enhanced Air Defense Network
The president, who has been pushing his allies for additional air defences to hold off Moscow's attacks, stated on this past Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air-defence network with Germany’s assistance. “We have strengthened the U.S.-made Patriot component of our Ukrainian air defense,” he declared, referring to the sophisticated U.S.-made defense systems. Not providing additional information, the Ukrainian leader singled out Berlin and its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, for gratitude.
Russian Attacks Kill Innocents, Cut Power
Russian unmanned aircraft and rockets fired at Ukraine killed at least 6 people, among them two minors, and cut power to thousands of residents, authorities reported on Sunday. Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, according to the representatives of Ukraine’s prosecutor general. The victims were two boys aged eleven and 14, stated the nation's ombudsman. Russia’s attacks disrupted electricity to the entire eastern Donetsk region as well as nearly 58,000 homes in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders announced. Ukraine’s Eastern military unit said a number of its members were killed in one of the enemy attacks on Dnipropetrovsk.