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FormerPresident Trump remarked on Sunday that he is not really planning providing Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. After being asked by a journalist on Air Force One, he replied, “No, not really.” Earlier accounts had claimed the Pentagon informed the administration that U.S. stockpiles of Tomahawks were ample to enable this transfer.

Ukraine's Defense Efforts Continue Despite Missile Lack

Although Ukraine has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to execute long-range attacks against Russian targets, it has still succeeded to conduct a successful operation using its own drones and rockets against Moscow's armed and strategic objectives, including oil depots and processing plants. On Sunday, a Ukrainian airstrike struck the Tuapse oil port on the coast, igniting a fire and harming two vessels, according to Moscow officials. Adjacent airfields in the area also had to be shut down.

Turkish Oil Plants Turn to Non-Russian Crude Sources

Ankara's largest oil refineries are boosting purchases of non-Russian crude in reaction to the latest western sanctions on Russia, as reported by market insiders. Turkey is a major buyer of Russian crude, together with Beijing and New Delhi, but refiners are following India's example in cutting back imports.

SOCAR Turkey Plant Diversifies Oil Procurement

A major Turkish refining plants, the STAR refinery, owned by Azeri company SOCAR, has recently purchased multiple shipments of crude from Iraqi, Kazakh, and additional alternative suppliers for year-end delivery, as per sources. These purchases represent roughly 77,000 to 129,000 barrels daily of alternative supply, varying by cargo size. By comparison, oil from Russia accounted for virtually all of the plant's crude intake in recent months, totaling approximately 210,000 barrels per day, according to market information. SOCAR refused to provide a statement.

Tupras Also Increasing Alternative Buys

The other leading Turkish oil processor – Tupras – was also increasing acquisitions of alternative types of crude, as stated by multiple insiders. The company was also expected to soon entirely eliminate imports from Russia at one of its two major domestic refineries to continue petroleum shipments to the EU without breaching the European Union's incoming restrictions. Tupras did not respond to a request for comment.

Ukrainian Sends Special Forces to Pokrovsk

Ukraine has deployed special forces to the embattled east city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to push back an fierce Moscow's offensive involving a large number of soldiers, according to Kyiv’s senior military leader. Pokrovsk, called “the gateway to Donetsk,” is located on a key supply route for the Ukrainian army and has been under Russia's crosshairs for more than a year as Russia pushes to control the entire east Donetsk area.

Latest Developments in the City

No fewer than two hundred Moscow's troops had penetrated Pokrovsk’s defensive lines, Ukrainian officials reported recently, while military experts assessed that others were advancing on its outskirts in a encircling movement. In his nightly speech on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the combat in the city and “successes in the elimination of the occupiers.”

Ukrainian President Announces Strengthened Air Defence System

The president, who has been urging his allies for additional air defences to hold off Moscow's strikes, stated on Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air-defence capabilities with Berlin's support. “We have strengthened the U.S.-made Patriot element of our national air defense,” he declared, referring to the sophisticated U.S.-made air-defence systems. Without providing additional information, the Ukrainian president specifically thanked Berlin and its leader, Friedrich Merz, for thanks.

Russian Strikes Claim Innocents, Cut Power

Moscow's drones and rockets fired at Ukrainian territory took the lives of at least 6 individuals, among them 2 children, and cut power to thousands of households, authorities reported on Sunday. Russian forces struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, said the office of Ukraine’s prosecutor general. The victims were two boys aged eleven and 14, said the nation's human rights commissioner. The attacks cut power to the whole east Donetsk area as well as nearly 58,000 households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their governors said. The Vostok army group confirmed a number of its members were killed in a particular of the enemy strikes on Dnipropetrovsk.