🔗 Share this article Donald Trump States He Is Not Planning Sending Tomahawk Cruise Missiles to Ukraine. Ex-President Donald Trump stated this past Sunday that he is not seriously planning supplying Ukrainian forces with advanced Tomahawk cruise missiles. After being asked by a journalist aboard his plane, he responded, “No, not currently.” Earlier accounts had claimed the U.S. Department of Defense told the White House that American inventories of Tomahawks were ample to allow this transfer. Ukrainian Defense Actions Continue Despite Missile Lack Although Ukrainian forces has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to carry out far-reaching strikes against Russia, it has nonetheless managed to conduct a successful operation using its own unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles against Russian armed and key targets, such as fuel storage facilities and processing plants. This past Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack targeted the port facility on the Black Sea, igniting a blaze and damaging two ships, according to Moscow authorities. Adjacent Russian airports in the area also had to be shut down. Turkey Oil Plants Shift to Alternative Crude Sources Turkey's biggest oil refineries are boosting purchases of non-Russian crude in reaction to the latest international restrictions on Moscow, as reported by industry insiders. The country is a significant buyer of Russian crude, together with Beijing and India, but refiners are mirroring India's lead in reducing imports. SOCAR Turkey Plant Diversifies Oil Sources A major Turkish refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), owned by Azerbaijani firm SOCAR, has recently acquired four cargoes of crude from Iraqi, Kazakh, and other non-Russian suppliers for December delivery, according to insiders. This amount to approximately 77,000 to 129,000 barrels daily of alternative supply, varying by cargo size. In contrast, Russian crude made up nearly the entirety of the STAR refinery's supply in recent months, amounting to about 210 thousand bpd, according to trade information. SOCAR refused to provide a statement. Another Major Refiner Likewise Increasing Alternative Buys The other leading Turkey's oil processor – Tupras – was also raising purchases of alternative grades of crude, as stated by multiple insiders. The company was also likely to soon completely phase out imports from Russia at one of its primary main Turkish plants to continue petroleum shipments to the EU without violating the European Union's incoming sanctions. The refiner did not respond to a request for a statement. Ukrainian Deploys Special Forces to Pokrovsk Kyiv has sent special forces to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to repel an fierce Russian offensive involving thousands of soldiers, according to Ukraine's senior commander. Pokrovsk, called “the gateway to Donetsk,” is located on a major supply route for the Ukrainian army and has been in Russia's crosshairs for over a twelve months as Russia aims to control the whole eastern Donetsk region. Latest Developments in the City At least 200 Russian soldiers had penetrated Pokrovsk’s defensive lines, Kyiv reported recently, while military experts assessed that others were closing in on its outskirts in a encircling maneuver. In his nightly speech on this past Sunday, the Ukrainian president mentioned the combat in the city and “successes in the destruction of the occupiers.” Zelenskyy Reveals Strengthened Air Defense Network The president, who has been pushing his partners for additional air defences to counter Russia’s attacks, stated on Sunday that the country had reinforced its air defense capabilities with Berlin's assistance. “We have boosted the Patriot element of our national air defence,” Zelenskyy declared, mentioning the sophisticated U.S.-made air-defence systems. Without providing additional details, the Ukrainian leader singled out Germany and its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, for thanks. Moscow's Strikes Kill Civilians, Disrupt Power Moscow's drones and rockets fired at Ukrainian territory killed no fewer than 6 people, including two children, and disrupted power to thousands of residents, officials said on this past Sunday. Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, according to the office of Ukraine’s chief prosecutor. The children were male minors of ages eleven and 14, stated Ukraine’s ombudsman. Russia’s attacks cut power to the entire eastern Donetsk region as well as nearly 58 thousand homes in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. The Vostok army group said a number of its personnel were killed in one of the Russian strikes on the region.