Trump Says He Is Not Planning Sending Long-Range Missiles to Kyiv.
Ex-President Donald Trump stated this past Sunday that he is not actively contemplating providing Ukrainian forces with advanced Tomahawk missiles. When questioned by a reporter on his plane, he responded, “No, not currently.” Recent accounts had suggested the U.S. Department of Defense informed the administration that U.S. stockpiles of Tomahawks were ample to enable this transfer.
Ukrainian Defense Actions Continue Despite Missile Lack
While Ukraine has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to execute far-reaching attacks against Russian targets, it has still succeeded to wage a effective campaign using its own drones and rockets against Moscow's armed and strategic objectives, such as fuel storage facilities and refineries. On Sunday, a Ukrainian airstrike struck the port facility on the coast, causing a blaze and damaging two ships, as stated by Russian authorities. Nearby airfields in the region also had to be closed.
Turkey Oil Plants Turn to Alternative Crude Sources
Ankara's biggest oil refineries are increasing procurement of alternative crude in response to the recent western sanctions on Moscow, as reported by market sources. The country is a significant purchaser of oil from Russia, together with Beijing and India, but processing companies are mirroring India's example in cutting back imports.
STAR Refinery Expands Crude Sources
A major Turkey's refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), owned by Azeri firm SOCAR, has recently purchased four cargoes of crude from Iraq, Kazakh, and other non-Russian producers for year-end delivery, as per insiders. These purchases represent roughly tens of thousands of barrels daily of non-Russian crude, varying by shipment volume. By comparison, Russian crude made up virtually all of the STAR refinery's supply in recent months, amounting to approximately 210 thousand barrels per day, based on market information. SOCAR declined to comment.
Tupras Likewise Boosting Alternative Purchases
The other major Turkish oil processor – Tupras – was additionally raising acquisitions of non-Russian types of crude, according to multiple sources. The company was also likely to soon completely phase out Russian crude at one of its two main domestic plants to continue petroleum exports to Europe without violating the European Union's incoming restrictions. Tupras declined to comment to a request for a statement.
Ukraine Sends Special Forces to Pokrovsk
Ukraine has sent elite troops to the embattled east city of Pokrovsk in an effort to repel an fierce Moscow's offensive comprising a large number of troops, as stated by Kyiv’s senior military leader. Pokrovsk, dubbed “the entrance to Donetsk,” lies on a key logistical route for the Kyiv's army and has been under Russia's crosshairs for more than a year as Moscow pushes to seize the whole eastern Donetsk region.
Latest Developments in the City
No fewer than two hundred Moscow's soldiers had breached the city's defensive lines, Ukrainian officials reported last week, while military experts assessed that additional forces were closing in on its perimeter in a encircling maneuver. In his nightly address on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the combat in the city and “results in the elimination of the invading forces.”
Ukrainian President Announces Enhanced Air Defence Network
The president, who has been urging his partners for more air defences to hold off Russia’s attacks, announced on this past Sunday that the country had strengthened its air defense capabilities with Berlin's support. “We have boosted the U.S.-made Patriot element of our Ukrainian air defence,” he declared, mentioning the sophisticated American air-defence systems. Not providing additional information, the Ukrainian president singled out Germany and its chancellor, the German chancellor, for gratitude.
Russian Attacks Claim Innocents, Cut Power
Russian drones and rockets targeting Ukrainian territory took the lives of no fewer than six people, including two minors, and disrupted power to thousands of households, authorities reported on this past Sunday. Moscow's military attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, said the representatives of Ukraine’s prosecutor general. The victims were male minors aged 11 and 14, said Ukraine’s ombudsman. Russia’s attacks cut electricity to the whole east Donetsk area as well as almost 58 thousand homes in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. The Vostok army group said some of its personnel were killed in a particular of the Russian strikes on the region.