Trump Affirms He Isn't Planning Sending Long-Range Missiles to Kyiv.
FormerPresident Donald Trump remarked on Sunday that he is not seriously considering supplying Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. In response to a query by a journalist aboard Air Force One, he responded, “No, not currently.” Recent accounts had suggested the Pentagon told the administration that U.S. stockpiles of Tomahawks were adequate to enable such a transfer.
Ukrainian Military Efforts Continue Without Weapon Shortage
Although Ukraine has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to execute long-range strikes against Russian targets, it has nonetheless succeeded to wage a effective campaign using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles against Russian military and strategic targets, including oil depots and refineries. This past Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack hit the Tuapse oil port on the coast, igniting a blaze and harming two ships, according to Russian officials. Nearby airfields in the region also had to be shut down.
Turkish Oil Plants Shift to Alternative Oil Sources
Ankara's largest oil refineries are boosting purchases of alternative crude in response to the latest international restrictions on Russia, according to industry sources. Turkey is a major purchaser of Russian crude, together with China and New Delhi, but processing companies are following New Delhi's example in reducing supplies.
STAR Refinery Expands Crude Sources
A major Turkish refineries, the STAR refinery, operated by Azeri company SOCAR, has lately acquired multiple cargoes of crude from Iraqi, Kazakhstan, and additional alternative producers for December delivery, according to sources. This amount to roughly tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian crude, depending on cargo size. By comparison, Russian crude accounted for nearly the entirety of the plant's crude intake in recent months, amounting to approximately 210,000 barrels per day, based on market data. SOCAR declined to comment.
Tupras Likewise Boosting Non-Russian Purchases
The other major Turkish oil processor – Tupras – was also raising purchases of alternative types of crude, as stated by multiple insiders. Tupras was also expected to soon entirely phase out Russian crude at a key facility of its two main domestic plants to continue petroleum exports to Europe without breaching the European Union's upcoming sanctions. The refiner did not respond to a inquiry for a statement.
Ukraine Deploys Elite Units to Eastern City
Ukraine has deployed special forces to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an intense Moscow's assault comprising a large number of soldiers, according to Kyiv’s top military leader. The city, dubbed “the entrance to Donetsk,” lies on a major supply line for the Ukrainian army and has been under Moscow’s sights for over a twelve months as Moscow aims to seize the entire eastern Donetsk region.
Latest Developments in the City
No fewer than two hundred Moscow's troops had penetrated Pokrovsk’s defences, Kyiv reported last week, while analysts concluded that others were closing in on its outskirts in a pincer-shaped movement. In his nightly speech on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the combat in Pokrovsk and “successes in the destruction of the occupiers.”
Ukrainian President Announces Enhanced Air Defence Network
The president, who has been pushing his allies for additional air defense systems to hold off Russia’s strikes, announced on this past Sunday that the country had reinforced its air-defence capabilities with Germany’s assistance. “We've strengthened the U.S.-made Patriot component of our Ukrainian air defense,” Zelenskyy said, mentioning the advanced American defense systems. Without providing additional details, the Ukraine's president singled out Berlin and its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, for thanks.
Moscow's Strikes Claim Innocents, Cut Electricity
Moscow's drones and rockets targeting Ukraine killed at least 6 individuals, including two children, and cut power to thousands of residents, officials said on this past Sunday. Moscow's military attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, said the office of Ukraine’s prosecutor general. The children were male minors of ages eleven and fourteen, stated Ukraine’s ombudsman. The strikes cut electricity to the whole east Donetsk area as well as almost 58 thousand households in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders announced. The Vostok military unit confirmed a number of its members were killed in one of the Russian strikes on Dnipropetrovsk.