Trump Affirms He Is Not Contemplating Providing Long-Range Missiles to Ukraine.
Ex-President Trump stated on Sunday that he is not really planning providing Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk missiles. When questioned by a reporter on his plane, he answered, “No, not at the moment.” Recent accounts had indicated the Pentagon told the White House that U.S. inventories of Tomahawks were adequate to allow such a transfer.
Ukrainian Military Efforts Persist Despite Weapon Shortage
While Ukraine has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to carry out far-reaching strikes against Russian targets, it has nonetheless managed to conduct a successful operation using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and rockets against Moscow's military and key targets, including oil depots and refineries. On Sunday, a Kyiv's airstrike struck the Tuapse oil port on the coast, causing a blaze and harming two ships, according to Moscow officials. Adjacent Russian airports in the region also had to be shut down.
Turkish Refineries Shift to Alternative Crude Sources
Ankara's largest oil refining facilities are boosting purchases of alternative crude in reaction to the recent western sanctions on Moscow, as reported by market sources. Turkey is a significant buyer of oil from Russia, along with China and New Delhi, but refiners are mirroring New Delhi's example in reducing imports.
STAR Refinery Expands Oil Procurement
One of the largest Turkey's refining plants, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), owned by Azerbaijani company SOCAR, has lately acquired multiple shipments of crude from Iraq, Kazakh, and other non-Russian suppliers for year-end arrival, according to sources. This amount to roughly tens of thousands of barrels daily of alternative crude, depending on shipment volume. By comparison, oil from Russia accounted for nearly the entirety of the STAR refinery's crude intake in recent months, amounting to about 210,000 bpd, based on market information. SOCAR declined to comment.
Another Major Refiner Likewise Boosting Alternative Buys
Another major Turkey's refiner – Tupras refinery – was also increasing acquisitions of non-Russian grades of crude, as stated by multiple sources. Tupras was furthermore likely to soon entirely phase out imports from Russia at one of its two major domestic plants to continue fuel shipments to Europe without violating the European Union's incoming sanctions. Tupras declined to comment to a inquiry for comment.
Ukrainian Deploys Special Forces to Pokrovsk
Kyiv has sent elite troops to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to push back an intense Russian offensive comprising a large number of soldiers, as stated by Kyiv’s senior military leader. Pokrovsk, called “the entrance to Donetsk,” is located on a key logistical line for the Kyiv's military and has been in Moscow’s crosshairs for over a year as Russia aims to seize the entire eastern Donetsk region.
Recent Developments in Pokrovsk
At least 200 Russian troops had penetrated Pokrovsk’s defensive lines, Ukrainian officials reported recently, while military experts assessed that others were advancing on its outskirts in a encircling maneuver. In his nightly address on this past Sunday, the Ukrainian president spoke of the fighting in Pokrovsk and “results in the destruction of the occupiers.”
Ukrainian President Announces Strengthened Air Defense System
The president, who has been pushing his partners for more air defense systems to counter Russia’s strikes, stated on this past Sunday that the country had strengthened its air defense capabilities with Berlin's assistance. “We've boosted the U.S.-made Patriot component of our Ukrainian air defense,” Zelenskyy said, mentioning the advanced American defense systems. Without offering additional details, the Ukrainian leader singled out Berlin and its chancellor, the German chancellor, for gratitude.
Moscow's Attacks Claim Innocents, Cut Electricity
Moscow's drones and rockets fired at Ukraine took the lives of at least six individuals, among them 2 minors, and cut power to thousands of residents, officials reported on Sunday. Moscow's military attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, said the office of Ukraine’s prosecutor general. The children were two boys aged 11 and fourteen, said the nation's ombudsman. The strikes cut power to the whole east Donetsk area as well as almost 58 thousand households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their governors announced. Ukraine’s Vostok army group confirmed some of its members were killed in a particular of the Russian strikes on Dnipropetrovsk.