Trump Says He Isn't Planning Sending Tomahawk Cruise Missiles to Ukraine.
FormerPresident Trump indicated this past Sunday that he is not really contemplating sending Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. When questioned by a journalist aboard his plane, he answered, “No, not really.” Recent accounts had claimed the Pentagon informed the White House that U.S. stockpiles of Tomahawks were sufficient to enable this transfer.
Ukrainian Defense Actions Persist Without Weapon Shortage
Although Ukraine has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to carry out far-reaching attacks against Russian targets, it has still succeeded to conduct a effective campaign using its own drones and rockets against Russian military and strategic objectives, including oil depots and refineries. This past Sunday, a Ukrainian airstrike hit the port facility on the Black Sea, causing a fire and damaging two ships, as stated by Moscow officials. Nearby Russian airports in the area also had to be closed.
Turkish Refineries Turn to Non-Russian Crude Supplies
Ankara's largest oil refining facilities are boosting procurement of non-Russian crude in response to the recent western restrictions on Russia, according to industry sources. The country is a significant buyer of Russian crude, together with Beijing and New Delhi, but processing companies are mirroring India's lead in cutting back supplies.
STAR Refinery Expands Oil Sources
One of the largest Turkish refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), operated by Azerbaijani firm SOCAR, has lately acquired four cargoes of crude from Iraqi, Kazakh, and other non-Russian suppliers for December delivery, according to sources. These purchases represent approximately 77,000 to 129,000 barrels daily of non-Russian supply, varying by shipment volume. By comparison, oil from Russia made up virtually all of the STAR refinery's supply in recent months, totaling about 210,000 bpd, based on market information. SOCAR declined to comment.
Another Major Refiner Likewise Boosting Non-Russian Purchases
Another major Turkey's refiner – Tupras refinery – was also raising acquisitions of alternative grades of crude, according to two sources. Tupras was also likely to in the near future entirely eliminate Russian crude at a key facility of its two main Turkish plants to continue fuel exports to Europe without violating the EU’s upcoming sanctions. Tupras declined to comment to a request for a statement.
Ukraine Sends Special Forces to Eastern City
Ukraine has sent elite troops to the embattled east city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to repel an intense Russian assault involving a large number of troops, as stated by Ukraine's senior military leader. Pokrovsk, called “the entrance to Donetsk,” lies on a key supply line for the Ukrainian army and has been in Moscow’s sights for over a year as Moscow pushes to seize the whole east Donetsk region.
Latest Updates in Pokrovsk
No fewer than two hundred Moscow's troops had breached the city's defensive lines, Ukrainian officials said recently, while analysts assessed that additional forces were closing in on its outskirts in a pincer-shaped maneuver. In his evening address on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the fighting in Pokrovsk and “results in the elimination of the occupiers.”
Zelenskyy Reveals Enhanced Air Defence System
The president, who has been pushing his partners for additional air defences to counter Russia’s strikes, stated on this past Sunday that the country had strengthened its air defense capabilities with Germany’s support. “We have strengthened the Patriot element of our Ukrainian air defense,” Zelenskyy declared, referring to the advanced American defense systems. Not offering further details, the Ukraine's president specifically thanked Berlin and its leader, the German chancellor, for gratitude.
Russian Attacks Kill Innocents, Disrupt Electricity
Russian drones and missiles fired at Ukrainian territory killed at least 6 people, among them two children, and disrupted power to thousands of residents, authorities said on this past Sunday. Russian forces struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the representatives of Ukraine’s prosecutor general. The victims were two boys aged eleven and 14, stated Ukraine’s human rights commissioner. Russia’s attacks cut electricity to the entire east Donetsk area as well as nearly 58 thousand households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their governors said. Ukraine’s Eastern army group said a number of its members were killed in one of the Russian attacks on the region.
