Donald Trump Says He Isn't Planning Sending Long-Range Missiles to Ukraine.
FormerPresident Donald Trump remarked this past Sunday that he is not actively planning sending Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. In response to a query by a journalist aboard Air Force One, he responded, “No, not currently.” Recent reports had claimed the U.S. Department of Defense told the administration that American stockpiles of Tomahawks were ample to enable this delivery.
Ukrainian Defense Actions Persist Despite Missile Lack
Although Ukrainian forces has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to carry out far-reaching strikes against Russia, it has still managed to conduct a effective operation using its own drones and missiles against Moscow's armed and strategic objectives, such as fuel storage facilities and processing plants. On Sunday, a Kyiv's airstrike hit the Tuapse oil port on the Black Sea, causing a fire and harming two ships, according to Moscow officials. Nearby airfields in the area also had to be closed.
Turkish Oil Plants Shift to Alternative Crude Supplies
Turkey's largest oil refineries are boosting procurement of alternative crude in reaction to the recent international restrictions on Moscow, as reported by industry insiders. Turkey is a major purchaser of Russian crude, along with China and India, but refiners are following India's lead in reducing supplies.
SOCAR Turkey Plant Diversifies Oil Procurement
One of the largest Turkey's refining plants, the STAR refinery, operated by Azeri company SOCAR, has lately acquired multiple cargoes of crude from Iraqi, Kazakh, and additional non-Russian producers for year-end arrival, as per sources. This amount to approximately 77,000 to 129,000 barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian supply, depending on shipment volume. By comparison, Russian crude accounted for nearly all of the plant's supply in recent months, amounting to about 210 thousand bpd, according to trade data. SOCAR refused to provide a statement.
Tupras Also Boosting Alternative Buys
The other leading Turkish oil processor – Tupras – was additionally increasing purchases of non-Russian types of crude, according to two sources. Tupras was furthermore expected to soon entirely phase out imports from Russia at a key facility of its two main Turkish refineries to continue petroleum exports to the EU without breaching the EU’s upcoming sanctions. Tupras did not respond to a inquiry for a statement.
Ukraine Sends Special Forces to Eastern City
Kyiv has sent special forces to the embattled east city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an intense Moscow's offensive involving thousands of soldiers, as stated by Ukraine's senior commander. The city, dubbed “the gateway to Donetsk,” is located on a key supply route for the Ukrainian military and has been under Moscow’s crosshairs for more than a year as Russia pushes to seize the entire eastern Donetsk area.
Latest Updates in Pokrovsk
No fewer than two hundred Russian troops had breached the city's defences, Ukrainian officials said recently, while analysts concluded that others were advancing on its outskirts in a encircling movement. In his evening speech on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the fighting in Pokrovsk and “results in the destruction of the occupiers.”
Ukrainian President Announces Enhanced Air Defence Network
The president, who has been pushing his allies for additional air defences to counter Russia’s strikes, stated on this past Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air defense network with Berlin's support. “We've strengthened the Patriot component of our Ukrainian air defence,” Zelenskyy said, referring to the sophisticated American air-defence systems. Without offering further details, the Ukraine's president singled out Berlin and its leader, Friedrich Merz, for thanks.
Russian Strikes Claim Innocents, Disrupt Power
Russian drones and missiles targeting Ukraine took the lives of at least six people, including two children, and disrupted power to tens of thousands of households, officials reported on Sunday. Moscow's military attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, said the representatives of Ukraine’s chief prosecutor. The children were two boys aged eleven and fourteen, said the nation's human rights commissioner. The attacks cut electricity to the entire eastern Donetsk region as well as nearly 58 thousand households in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders announced. The Vostok military unit confirmed a number of its personnel were killed in one of the enemy strikes on Dnipropetrovsk.
