🔗 Share this article Donald Trump Says He Is Not Considering Sending Long-Range Cruise Missiles to Kyiv. FormerPresident Trump indicated on Sunday that he is not actively considering supplying Ukrainian forces with advanced Tomahawk missiles. After being asked by a journalist aboard his plane, he replied, “No, not really.” Earlier reports had claimed the U.S. Department of Defense informed the administration that American inventories of Tomahawks were sufficient to allow such a transfer. Ukraine's Defense Efforts Persist Without Weapon Lack Although Ukraine has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to conduct far-reaching strikes against Russian targets, it has nonetheless succeeded to wage a successful operation using its own unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles against Moscow's military and key targets, including oil depots and refineries. This past Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack struck the Tuapse oil port on the coast, causing a fire and damaging two ships, as stated by Moscow authorities. Nearby airfields in the region also had to be shut down. Turkey Oil Plants Turn to Alternative Crude Supplies Turkey's largest oil refining facilities are boosting procurement of alternative crude in response to the latest western restrictions on Russia, according to market sources. Turkey is a significant purchaser of oil from Russia, along with Beijing and India, but refiners are mirroring New Delhi's example in cutting back imports. STAR Plant Expands Crude Procurement One of the largest Turkey's refining plants, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), owned by Azerbaijani company SOCAR, has recently acquired four shipments of crude from Iraqi, Kazakhstan, and additional alternative producers for December delivery, according to insiders. This amount to roughly 77,000 to 129,000 barrels daily of non-Russian crude, varying by shipment volume. By comparison, Russian crude made up virtually all of the plant's crude intake in recent months, amounting to about 210,000 bpd, based on market information. SOCAR declined to provide a statement. Tupras Likewise Increasing Alternative Buys The other major Turkish oil processor – Tupras – was additionally raising purchases of alternative grades of crude, as stated by multiple sources. The company was furthermore expected to soon completely eliminate Russian crude at a key facility of its two main domestic refineries to maintain petroleum shipments to the EU without violating the EU’s upcoming sanctions. The refiner did not respond to a request for a statement. Ukrainian Deploys Elite Units to Eastern City Kyiv has sent elite troops to the heavily contested eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an fierce Russian assault involving a large number of troops, as stated by Ukraine's top commander. The city, dubbed “the entrance to Donetsk,” is located on a major supply line for the Ukrainian military and has been under Russia's sights for more than a twelve months as Moscow aims to control the whole eastern Donetsk area. Latest Developments in the City No fewer than two hundred Moscow's soldiers had breached the city's defences, Kyiv reported last week, while analysts assessed that additional forces were closing in on its outskirts in a encircling maneuver. In his nightly speech on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the combat in Pokrovsk and “results in the destruction of the occupiers.” Zelenskyy Reveals Enhanced Air Defense System Zelenskyy, who has been urging his allies for more air defense systems to hold off Russia’s strikes, stated on this past Sunday that the country had reinforced its air defense network with Germany’s support. “We have boosted the Patriot element of our national air defence,” he said, mentioning the advanced U.S.-made defense systems. Not providing additional information, the Ukrainian president singled out Germany and its chancellor, the German chancellor, for thanks. Russian Strikes Kill Innocents, Disrupt Power Russian drones and rockets fired at Ukrainian territory killed at least 6 people, including two children, and disrupted electricity to thousands of households, authorities reported on this past Sunday. Moscow's military struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the representatives of the country's prosecutor general. The children were two boys of ages 11 and 14, stated the nation's ombudsman. Russia’s strikes disrupted power to the whole east Donetsk area as well as nearly 58,000 homes in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. The Eastern military unit said a number of its personnel were killed in a particular of the Russian attacks on the region.