🔗 Share this article Trump Says He Isn't Considering Sending Tomahawk Missiles to Kyiv. Ex-President Donald Trump stated this past Sunday that he is not actively contemplating supplying Ukraine with advanced Tomahawk cruise missiles. When questioned by a reporter aboard his plane, he responded, “No, not at the moment.” Earlier accounts had indicated the Pentagon informed the White House that American stockpiles of Tomahawks were sufficient to enable this transfer. Ukrainian Defense Actions Persist Despite Missile Lack Although Ukraine has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to carry out far-reaching attacks against Russia, it has nonetheless succeeded to wage a effective operation using its own unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles against Moscow's military and key targets, including oil depots and processing plants. On Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack struck the port facility on the Black Sea, causing a fire and damaging two vessels, according to Russian authorities. Nearby Russian airports in the region also had to be closed. Turkish Oil Plants Shift to Non-Russian Oil Sources Turkey's biggest oil refineries are increasing purchases of non-Russian crude in reaction to the recent western sanctions on Russia, as reported by market sources. The country is a major buyer of oil from Russia, together with Beijing and New Delhi, but refiners are following India's lead in cutting back imports. STAR Plant Diversifies Crude Sources A major Turkish refining plants, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), operated by Azerbaijani company SOCAR, has recently purchased four shipments of crude from Iraqi, Kazakhstan, and other non-Russian producers for year-end delivery, as per insiders. These purchases amount to approximately 77,000 to 129,000 barrels per day (bpd) of alternative crude, varying by cargo size. By comparison, Russian crude made up virtually the entirety of the STAR refinery's supply in October and September, totaling approximately 210,000 barrels per day, based on market data. SOCAR declined to comment. Another Major Refiner Also Boosting Alternative Purchases The other major Turkey's refiner – Tupras – was additionally raising purchases of non-Russian grades of crude, as stated by multiple insiders. Tupras was furthermore likely to soon completely eliminate imports from Russia at one of its primary major domestic refineries to continue fuel exports to Europe without breaching the European Union's incoming sanctions. Tupras did not respond to a inquiry for comment. Ukrainian Sends Elite Units to Pokrovsk Ukraine has deployed elite troops to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an intense Russian assault comprising thousands of troops, according to Kyiv’s top commander. The city, dubbed “the gateway to Donetsk,” lies on a key logistical route for the Ukrainian military and has been under Moscow’s sights for more than a year as Russia pushes to seize the entire east Donetsk region. Recent Developments in Pokrovsk At least two hundred Russian soldiers had breached the city's defensive lines, Kyiv reported recently, while analysts assessed that additional forces were closing in on its outskirts in a pincer-shaped movement. In his nightly speech on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the fighting in Pokrovsk and “successes in the destruction of the invading forces.” Zelenskyy Announces Strengthened Air Defence System Zelenskyy, who has been pushing his allies for additional air defences to counter Russia’s attacks, stated on this past Sunday that Ukraine had strengthened its air-defence network with Germany’s assistance. “We've boosted the U.S.-made Patriot element of our Ukrainian air defence,” Zelenskyy said, mentioning the advanced American defense systems. Without providing additional details, the Ukrainian president specifically thanked Berlin and its leader, the German chancellor, for gratitude. Moscow's Attacks Kill Civilians, Cut Electricity Moscow's drones and rockets fired at Ukrainian territory killed at least 6 individuals, including 2 children, and disrupted electricity to thousands of residents, authorities said on Sunday. Moscow's military attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the office of the country's prosecutor general. The victims were male minors aged 11 and fourteen, said Ukraine’s human rights commissioner. The attacks disrupted electricity to the entire east Donetsk area as well as nearly 58,000 homes in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders announced. The Eastern army group said some of its members were killed in one of the Russian attacks on the region.