Ukrainian drones struck more Russian oil facilities and set two oil tankers on fire in the Sea of Azov on Thursday, a day after U.S. President Donald Trump pledged to grant Kiev a license to build Patriot air defense systems to protect its city. Meanwhile, a senior Ukrainian official warned that it could take a year or more for the country to produce Patriot interceptor missiles.The Kremlin said the licensing deal reflected Washington’s “ambivalence” but noted that it appreciated Trump’s efforts to help reach a peace deal to end the war, which Russia launched more than four years ago. Ukraine’s attacks on refineries and other infrastructure across Russia have triggered a widespread fuel crisis, with gasoline shortages and rationing in several regions leaving motorists waiting for hours to fill up.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the latest attacks on Russian infrastructure were part of a campaign of “long-term sanctions” imposed by Kyiv in response to Moscow’s refusal to stop fighting.Vitaly Korolev, acting governor of the western Russian city of Tver, said a Ukrainian drone strike sparked a fire at an oil depot. Oil depots in Vyazniki, in the southern Stavropol region, were also set ablaze by drones, governor Vladimir Vladimirov said. Yuri Slusar, the governor of the Rostov region, said Ukrainian drones set fire to two oil tankers in the Sea of Azov. Associated Press
