Trump Says He Isn't Considering Supplying Tomahawk Missiles to Ukraine.
FormerPresident Trump stated this past Sunday that he was not seriously planning supplying Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. After being asked by a reporter aboard his plane, he answered, “No, not currently.” Earlier reports had suggested the Pentagon informed the administration that U.S. stockpiles of Tomahawks were adequate to allow this delivery.
Ukrainian Defense Actions Persist Despite Weapon Lack
Although Ukraine has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to carry out long-range attacks against Russia, it has still managed to wage a successful operation using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles against Moscow's military and strategic objectives, such as fuel storage facilities and refineries. This past Sunday, a Kyiv's drone attack struck the port facility on the Black Sea, causing a blaze and harming two ships, as stated by Russian authorities. Nearby airfields in the area also had to be shut down.
Turkish Oil Plants Turn to Non-Russian Oil Supplies
Turkey's biggest oil refining facilities are increasing procurement of alternative crude in reaction to the latest western restrictions on Russia, according to market insiders. The country is a significant purchaser of oil from Russia, along with China and New Delhi, but processing companies are following India's lead in reducing imports.
STAR Plant Expands Oil Sources
One of the largest Turkish refining plants, the STAR refinery, owned by Azerbaijani company SOCAR, has recently acquired multiple shipments of crude from Iraqi, Kazakh, and other alternative producers for December arrival, as per sources. This represent roughly tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian supply, depending on cargo size. By comparison, oil from Russia accounted for nearly the entirety of the STAR refinery's crude intake in recent months, amounting to about 210 thousand barrels per day, according to market information. SOCAR declined to comment.
Tupras Also Boosting Non-Russian Buys
The other major Turkish oil processor – Tupras refinery – was also raising purchases of alternative grades of crude, according to two insiders. Tupras was also expected to soon entirely phase out Russian crude at a key facility of its two major domestic plants to maintain fuel shipments to Europe without violating the EU’s upcoming sanctions. Tupras declined to comment to a inquiry for comment.
Ukraine Sends Elite Units to Eastern City
Ukraine has sent special forces to the embattled east city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to push back an fierce Russian assault comprising thousands of soldiers, as stated by Kyiv’s senior military leader. The city, dubbed “the gateway to Donetsk,” lies on a key logistical line for the Kyiv's military and has been in Russia's crosshairs for more than a twelve months as Russia aims to seize the entire eastern Donetsk area.
Latest Developments in Pokrovsk
At least 200 Russian soldiers had breached Pokrovsk’s defences, Ukrainian officials reported last week, while analysts assessed that others were closing in on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped maneuver. In his evening address on Sunday, the Ukrainian president mentioned the fighting in the city and “results in the elimination of the invading forces.”
Zelenskyy Reveals Strengthened Air Defence System
Zelenskyy, who has been urging his partners for more air defense systems to counter Moscow's strikes, announced on Sunday that the country had strengthened its air-defence capabilities with Germany’s assistance. “We've boosted the Patriot element of our Ukrainian air defence,” Zelenskyy declared, mentioning the sophisticated American defense systems. Not providing additional details, the Ukrainian president specifically thanked Berlin and its leader, the German chancellor, for thanks.
Russian Attacks Claim Civilians, Cut Electricity
Russian unmanned aircraft and missiles fired at Ukraine took the lives of at least 6 people, among them two minors, and disrupted electricity to tens of thousands of households, authorities said on this past Sunday. Russian forces struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, said the representatives of Ukraine’s chief prosecutor. The children were two boys of ages eleven and 14, stated the nation's human rights commissioner. Russia’s strikes cut electricity to the whole eastern Donetsk area as well as nearly 58,000 households in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their governors said. Ukraine’s Eastern army group said some of its personnel were killed in a particular of the Russian attacks on the region.