Trump Says He Isn't Contemplating Supplying Long-Range Missiles to Kyiv.
FormerPresident Donald Trump indicated on Sunday that he was not really considering supplying Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. When questioned by a journalist on his plane, he responded, “No, not at the moment.” Earlier reports had claimed the Pentagon told the White House that U.S. stockpiles of Tomahawks were ample to allow such a delivery.
Ukraine's Defense Efforts Persist Despite Missile Shortage
Although Ukraine has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to carry out long-range strikes against Russian targets, it has nonetheless managed to wage a effective operation using its own unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles against Moscow's armed and key targets, such as fuel storage facilities and processing plants. This past Sunday, a Kyiv's airstrike struck the port facility on the Black Sea, causing a fire and harming two vessels, as stated by Russian authorities. Adjacent airfields in the region also had to be shut down.
Turkish Refineries Shift to Non-Russian Oil Supplies
Ankara's largest oil refineries are boosting purchases of alternative crude in reaction to the latest western restrictions on Moscow, as reported by market sources. The country is a major purchaser of oil from Russia, along with China and India, but refiners are mirroring India's lead in cutting back supplies.
SOCAR Turkey Refinery Expands Oil Procurement
One of the largest Turkish refineries, the STAR refinery, operated by Azeri company SOCAR, has lately purchased four shipments of crude from Iraq, Kazakhstan, and additional alternative producers for December delivery, according to sources. These purchases represent roughly 77,000 to 129,000 barrels daily of non-Russian crude, varying by cargo size. By comparison, oil from Russia made up nearly all of the plant's supply in recent months, amounting to about 210 thousand bpd, based on trade information. SOCAR declined to provide a statement.
Another Major Refiner Also Boosting Non-Russian Purchases
The other major Turkish oil processor – Tupras – was additionally increasing purchases of alternative grades of crude, according to multiple insiders. The company was also likely to in the near future entirely eliminate imports from Russia at a key facility of its primary major Turkish plants to continue petroleum exports to the EU without violating the European Union's incoming sanctions. The refiner did not respond to a request for a statement.
Ukrainian Deploys Special Forces to Pokrovsk
Ukraine has deployed elite troops to the embattled east city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to push back an intense Moscow's assault comprising a large number of troops, according to Kyiv’s top military leader. Pokrovsk, called “the entrance to Donetsk,” lies on a key supply line for the Kyiv's military and has been in Moscow’s sights for more than a year as Russia pushes to control the whole east Donetsk region.
Recent Updates in Pokrovsk
At least two hundred Moscow's troops had breached Pokrovsk’s defensive lines, Kyiv said last week, while analysts assessed that additional forces were closing in on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped maneuver. In his evening address on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the combat in the city and “successes in the elimination of the occupiers.”
Ukrainian President Reveals Strengthened Air Defense Network
The president, who has been urging his partners for more air defences to counter Moscow's strikes, stated on this past Sunday that Ukraine had strengthened its air defense capabilities with Germany’s assistance. “We've strengthened the Patriot component of our national air defence,” Zelenskyy declared, referring to the sophisticated U.S.-made air-defence systems. Without offering further information, the Ukraine's president specifically thanked Berlin and its leader, the German chancellor, for thanks.
Moscow's Attacks Kill Innocents, Cut Electricity
Russian drones and rockets fired at Ukrainian territory took the lives of at least six individuals, including 2 children, and disrupted power to thousands of residents, authorities reported on this past Sunday. Russian forces struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, according to the representatives of the country's prosecutor general. The children were male minors aged 11 and fourteen, said the nation's human rights commissioner. The strikes disrupted power to the whole east Donetsk area as well as almost 58 thousand households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. Ukraine’s Eastern army group said some of its members were killed in one of the Russian attacks on the region.
