Trump Says He Isn't Planning Providing Tomahawk Cruise Missiles to Kyiv.
Ex-President Donald Trump stated this past Sunday that he was not actively planning providing Ukraine with advanced Tomahawk cruise missiles. After being asked by a reporter aboard his plane, he responded, “No, not really.” Earlier reports had indicated the U.S. Department of Defense told the White House that U.S. inventories of Tomahawks were sufficient to allow this delivery.
Ukrainian Military Efforts Persist Without Weapon Lack
Although Ukraine has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to execute far-reaching strikes against Russian targets, it has still succeeded to wage a successful operation using its own drones and missiles against Moscow's armed and key targets, such as fuel storage facilities and refineries. On Sunday, a Kyiv's airstrike targeted the port facility on the Black Sea, causing a fire and harming two vessels, as stated by Russian authorities. Adjacent airfields in the area also had to be closed.
Turkey Oil Plants Shift to Alternative Oil Supplies
Ankara's largest oil refineries are increasing purchases of non-Russian crude in reaction to the recent international sanctions on Moscow, according to market insiders. Turkey is a significant purchaser of oil from Russia, together with China and New Delhi, but processing companies are following New Delhi's example in cutting back imports.
STAR Refinery Diversifies Crude Procurement
A major Turkish refining plants, the STAR refinery, operated by Azeri company SOCAR, has recently acquired multiple cargoes of crude from Iraq, Kazakh, and additional non-Russian producers for December arrival, according to sources. This represent roughly tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian crude, varying by shipment volume. In contrast, oil from Russia accounted for nearly all of the plant's supply in recent months, amounting to approximately 210,000 bpd, based on market information. SOCAR declined to provide a statement.
Another Major Refiner Also Boosting Non-Russian Buys
Another leading Turkish refiner – Tupras refinery – was also raising purchases of alternative types of crude, as stated by multiple insiders. Tupras was also likely to in the near future entirely eliminate imports from Russia at one of its two main domestic plants to continue fuel shipments to the EU without breaching the EU’s upcoming sanctions. Tupras did not respond to a request for comment.
Ukraine Deploys Elite Units to Eastern City
Kyiv has sent special forces to the heavily contested east city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to repel an fierce Moscow's assault involving thousands of troops, according to Ukraine's senior military leader. Pokrovsk, dubbed “the entrance to Donetsk,” is located on a major logistical line for the Ukrainian army and has been under Russia's crosshairs for more than a year as Russia aims to control the entire east Donetsk region.
Recent Updates in the City
No fewer than 200 Russian troops had breached the city's defences, Ukrainian officials said recently, while military experts concluded that additional forces were closing in on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped maneuver. In his nightly speech on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the combat in Pokrovsk and “successes in the elimination of the occupiers.”
Zelenskyy Reveals Enhanced Air Defence System
Zelenskyy, who has been pushing his allies for additional air defences to hold off Russia’s strikes, stated on Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air defense network with Berlin's assistance. “We've boosted the U.S.-made Patriot element of our Ukrainian air defense,” Zelenskyy said, referring to the sophisticated U.S.-made defense systems. Not providing additional details, the Ukrainian leader singled out Germany and its chancellor, the German chancellor, for gratitude.
Russian Strikes Kill Civilians, Disrupt Power
Russian unmanned aircraft and rockets fired at Ukraine took the lives of no fewer than 6 people, including two children, and cut power to thousands of households, officials reported on this past Sunday. Moscow's military struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the representatives of the country's prosecutor general. The children were male minors aged eleven and fourteen, stated the nation's ombudsman. Russia’s attacks disrupted electricity to the whole east Donetsk region as well as almost 58 thousand households in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their governors announced. The Vostok military unit said a number of its members were killed in a particular of the Russian attacks on the region.
