Trump Affirms He Isn't Considering Providing Tomahawk Cruise Missiles to Kyiv.
Ex-President Trump indicated on Sunday that he is not actively contemplating supplying Ukrainian forces with advanced Tomahawk cruise missiles. After being asked by a reporter on Air Force One, he answered, “No, not really.” Earlier reports had suggested the Pentagon informed the White House that U.S. inventories of Tomahawks were ample to enable such a transfer.
Ukrainian Military Efforts Persist Despite Weapon Lack
While Ukrainian forces has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to conduct far-reaching strikes against Russian targets, it has nonetheless managed to conduct a successful operation using its own unmanned aerial vehicles and rockets against Russian armed and strategic targets, including fuel storage facilities and processing plants. On Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack targeted the port facility on the coast, causing a blaze and damaging two vessels, according to Moscow officials. Adjacent Russian airports in the area also had to be closed.
Turkey Oil Plants Turn to Alternative Oil Supplies
Turkey's biggest oil refining facilities are boosting purchases of alternative crude in reaction to the recent international restrictions on Russia, as reported by market insiders. Turkey is a major purchaser of Russian crude, along with China and New Delhi, but processing companies are following India's lead in cutting back supplies.
SOCAR Turkey Plant Diversifies Crude Sources
A major Turkey's refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), operated by Azeri firm SOCAR, has recently acquired four cargoes of crude from Iraq, Kazakh, and other non-Russian suppliers for December delivery, according to sources. These purchases represent roughly tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of alternative supply, varying by cargo size. By comparison, Russian crude accounted for virtually the entirety of the plant's supply in October and September, amounting to about 210 thousand barrels per day, according to trade data. SOCAR declined to comment.
Tupras Also Boosting Non-Russian Buys
The other major Turkey's oil processor – Tupras refinery – was also increasing purchases of alternative grades of crude, as stated by multiple sources. The company was also likely to in the near future entirely phase out imports from Russia at a key facility of its two main domestic refineries to continue fuel exports to Europe without violating the European Union's upcoming restrictions. Tupras did not respond to a request for a statement.
Ukrainian Sends Elite Units to Eastern City
Kyiv has sent special forces to the heavily contested eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an intense Russian assault comprising a large number of soldiers, according to Kyiv’s top commander. Pokrovsk, dubbed “the entrance to Donetsk,” is located on a major supply route for the Kyiv's military and has been under Russia's crosshairs for more than a twelve months as Russia pushes to control the whole eastern Donetsk area.
Latest Updates in the City
At least 200 Russian troops had penetrated the city's defences, Kyiv reported recently, while military experts assessed that others were closing in on its perimeter in a encircling movement. In his evening speech on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the fighting in the city and “successes in the elimination of the invading forces.”
Zelenskyy Announces Enhanced Air Defense System
The president, who has been urging his allies for more air defense systems to counter Russia’s attacks, announced on this past Sunday that the country had strengthened its air-defence capabilities with Berlin's assistance. “We've boosted the Patriot element of our national air defense,” Zelenskyy declared, referring to the sophisticated American defense systems. Not offering additional information, the Ukrainian president singled out Germany and its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, for gratitude.
Russian Attacks Kill Innocents, Disrupt Electricity
Russian drones and rockets fired at Ukrainian territory took the lives of at least six people, among them 2 children, and cut electricity to thousands of residents, authorities reported on this past Sunday. Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the representatives of the country's prosecutor general. The children were two boys of ages 11 and fourteen, stated the nation's human rights commissioner. The attacks cut power to the whole east Donetsk region as well as nearly 58 thousand homes in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their governors announced. Ukraine’s Vostok army group confirmed a number of its personnel were killed in a particular of the Russian attacks on the region.