🔗 Share this article Donald Trump States He Isn't Contemplating Sending Long-Range Cruise Missiles to Ukraine. Ex-President Trump remarked this past Sunday that he was not actively planning sending Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. When questioned by a journalist aboard Air Force One, he replied, “No, not really.” Earlier reports had indicated the U.S. Department of Defense told the White House that U.S. stockpiles of Tomahawks were ample to allow such a delivery. Ukraine's Defense Efforts Persist Despite Weapon Lack While Ukraine has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to conduct far-reaching strikes against Russia, it has nonetheless succeeded to conduct a successful campaign using its domestically-produced drones and rockets against Russian military and strategic objectives, including fuel storage facilities and refineries. On Sunday, a Kyiv's drone attack hit the Tuapse oil port on the Black Sea, causing a blaze and harming two ships, as stated by Russian authorities. Adjacent airfields in the region also had to be shut down. Turkish Oil Plants Turn to Non-Russian Oil Supplies Ankara's biggest oil refineries are boosting purchases of non-Russian crude in reaction to the recent western restrictions on Russia, as reported by industry insiders. Turkey is a significant purchaser of oil from Russia, along with Beijing and India, but refiners are following New Delhi's example in reducing imports. STAR Refinery Diversifies Oil Procurement A major Turkey's refineries, the STAR refinery, operated by Azeri company SOCAR, has lately acquired multiple cargoes of crude from Iraqi, Kazakh, and other alternative producers for December delivery, according to insiders. This amount to roughly 77,000 to 129,000 barrels daily of non-Russian supply, varying by cargo size. In contrast, oil from Russia made up nearly all of the plant's supply in recent months, totaling approximately 210,000 barrels per day, according to market information. SOCAR refused to provide a statement. Tupras Likewise Boosting Alternative Purchases The other major Turkish oil processor – Tupras – was additionally raising acquisitions of non-Russian grades of crude, according to two insiders. Tupras was furthermore likely to in the near future entirely phase out Russian crude at one of its primary main domestic plants to continue petroleum exports to the EU without violating the EU’s incoming sanctions. Tupras declined to comment to a inquiry for a statement. Ukrainian Sends Special Forces to Eastern City Ukraine has deployed elite troops to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to repel an fierce Russian offensive comprising a large number of troops, as stated by Ukraine's senior military leader. The city, called “the gateway to Donetsk,” is located on a major supply route for the Ukrainian army and has been under Russia's crosshairs for more than a year as Moscow pushes to seize the entire eastern Donetsk area. Latest Developments in Pokrovsk No fewer than 200 Moscow's troops had breached Pokrovsk’s defensive lines, Ukrainian officials said last week, while military experts assessed that others were closing in on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped movement. In his evening speech on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the combat in the city and “results in the elimination of the invading forces.” Ukrainian President Reveals Enhanced Air Defence Network The president, who has been urging his allies for more air defences to hold off Russia’s strikes, stated on Sunday that the country had strengthened its air defense capabilities with Berlin's assistance. “We've boosted the Patriot component of our national air defense,” he said, mentioning the sophisticated U.S.-made air-defence systems. Without offering additional details, the Ukraine's president singled out Berlin and its leader, Friedrich Merz, for thanks. Moscow's Attacks Claim Innocents, Cut Electricity Moscow's unmanned aircraft and rockets fired at Ukraine killed no fewer than six individuals, among them 2 children, and cut power to thousands of residents, officials reported on this past Sunday. Russian forces struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, said the representatives of the country's prosecutor general. The victims were male minors of ages 11 and 14, stated the nation's ombudsman. Russia’s attacks disrupted electricity to the whole eastern Donetsk area as well as nearly 58 thousand homes in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. Ukraine’s Vostok military unit confirmed a number of its members were killed in one of the Russian strikes on the region.