James Landale
Diplomatic correspondent in Kyiv

Luc, one of our live page readers, asks: Would the deal still allow Ukraine to join Nato in due time?

I don't think this deal has any bearing at all on whether Ukraine will or will not join Nato in the future.

At the moment, the general consensus is that question is a very, very distant prospect. Even if you talk privately to Ukrainian politicians, they can see that it is not something they are going to insist upon as a red line under any kind of peace deal.

it's not as if Nato is rushing itself to introduce Ukraine into its alliance - and there are so many problems that could accompany it.

• As a reminder, you can watch the special episode of Ukrainecast by clicking Watch live above

James Waterhouse
Ukraine correspondent

Dudley in London asks: Why is Ukraine going ahead with the minerals deal? As the US is siding with Russia, it appears that Ukraine has nothing to lose by refusing to give away its assets.

Well, Ukraine would argue it's got everything to gain.

This was an idea first pitched by President Zelensky toward the end of last year in his victory plan. He was under pressure from Western allies to articulate his vision for how peace could be achieved.

And he said, 'look, we possess 5% of the world's critical minerals, we need investment, we need your cash to come and extract it. It's worth hundreds of billions of dollars. If you come and invest in us, that will mean investing in our future. If we could just get in return some concrete security guarantees, that you would be there in case Russia invaded in the future, that would be great, let's do business.'

Donald Trump's ears perked up at that very suggestion, not least because he's waging a trade war with China at the moment and China has control of the majority of the world's critical minerals, it is thought.

But, since we've had that Oval Office row - where it was going to be signed, then it wasn't - this deal has evolved into being far more wide-ranging, including coal, gas, energy projects.

And here we are now - where, it seems, Ukraine has got itself a deal that it is happy with.

It is a deal that recognises Russia as the invader, it paves the way for future military aid and it sets in action a long-term investment by America, which effectively ties it to the country and Ukraine will hope it will be enough for America to stand with Ukraine against Russia.

• As a reminder, you can watch the special episode of Ukrainecast by clicking Watch live above

Coming up at 13:00 BST, you'll be able to watch a special episode of the BBC's Ukrainecast at the top of this page, where some of the BBC's correspondents and presenters will answer your questions about the US-Ukraine resources deal.

Presenter Lucy Hockings will be joined by Ukraine correspondent James Waterhouse, diplomatic correspondent James Landale and Olga Robinson from BBC Verify.

If you can’t watch live, don’t worry. The full episode will be available to download from 17:00 BST.

Paul Kirby
Europe digital editor

Having had a quick scan of the deal published by Ukraine's cabinet of ministers, there are no changes that stand out from the draft text seen by the BBC hours before it was signed late on Wednesday in Washington DC.

But there are some significant points in that final text that we have highlighted in this piece on takeaways from the agreement.

President Trump had previously demanded that Ukraine pay back $350bn (£264bn) of aid that he claimed the US had provided during the war. This reconstruction investment fund deal refers only to "new military assistance" such as weapons, tech or training.

The agreement does include access to new oil and gas projects as well as critical minerals, seen as a softening of Ukraine's original position.

The deal also refers to Russia's "full-scale invasion of Ukraine", which is a toughening of the US tone towards Russia.

There is one aspect of the deal highlighted by Ukraine's prime minister that does not appear to be in this agreement, although it might be in an additional "technical agreement". Denys Shmyhal says for the first 10 years profits will be fully reinvested into Ukraine's economy, rather than being distributed between the two partners.

Helen Catt
Political correspondent

Image source, Reuters

Downing Street says the prime minister "welcomes steps taken by the US and Ukraine to sign an economic partnership".

The prime minister's official spokesman says Keir Starmer agrees with the Ukrainian Foreign Minister that it is "an important milestone".

Image source, Getty Images

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha calls the natural resources agreement "an important milestone" in Ukraine's strategic partnership with the US.

In a social media post, he says the recently signed deal is "aimed at strengthening Ukraine's economy and security".

Sybiha also says he has spoken about last night's developments with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, adding that he is "grateful to the EU for its solidarity and steadfast support".

Skimming quickly through the text of the "Reconstruction Investment Fund", some lines stand out straight away:

• The agreement's objective is to "further economic cooperation" between the US and Ukraine, it says
• The document references the "large-scale destruction caused by Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine"
• The appendix includes a long list of definitions for what amounts to "natural resource relevant assets" - including, but not limited to, gold, aluminium, zirconium, oil, natural gas (including liquified natural gas)

Our Europe and North America colleagues earlier set out seven of the key takeaways from a draft document the BBC had seen - we're checking now to see if this is the same as the final text the Ukrainian government has published.

Image source, Ukrainian government

The full text of Washington and Kyiv's natural resources deal has just been published.

As we've been reporting, its aim is to set up a joint investment fund to help Ukraine pay for future military and humanitarian aid, as well as reconstruction efforts once the war is over.

We're combing through the copy now and will bring you any key lines in our next few posts.

Daniel Wittenberg
Senior field producer

Image source, Daniel Wittenberg/BBC

Remember, this is the deal that dramatically unravelled in front of the world’s cameras.

Trump and Zelensky were meant to unveil the agreement at the White House in February – the same meeting that descended into a full-blown argument inside the Oval Office.

I was in the room that day. The diplomatic row played out just feet from where stunned journalists were standing. Seasoned White House correspondents told me they had never seen anything like it.

In that moment, the fate of the deal was thrown into doubt, as the rest of the day’s schedule collapsed. There had already been whispers of last-minute tensions over how and by whom the agreement should be signed. After the unprecedented clash, a planned signing ceremony and joint press conference in the East Room was scrapped.

Minutes later, Zelensky was whisked out of the White House in his black SUV and told to “come back when you’re ready for peace”.

That moment gave us a very public glimpse of how fraught negotiations between the US and Ukraine might be behind closed doors – not just over this deal, but over their wider wartime relationship.

The eventual signing – notably absent of both presidents – follows a recent Trump-Zelensky meeting at the Vatican, held just before the funeral of Pope Francis.

I was reporting there for the BBC, and I’m now heading back to Washington to work with our team covering the next chapter in this constantly evolving story.

Image source, Svyrydenko_Y/X

As we've mentioned, the US-Ukraine natural resource deal signed yesterday dates back to October last year, when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky put forward a "victory plan" to former US president Joe Biden.

Since February, there have been ongoing talks between Zelensky and US president Donald Trump.

Here's a quick reminder of how the negotiations unfolded:

• 26 February: A senior Ukrainian official said the terms of a natural resources deal had been agreed, with Zelensky set to visit Trump in Washington to sign
• 28 February: Zelensky left the White House without a deal after an explosive row with Trump in the Oval Office
• March: Zelensky said he was still willing and "ready to sign" a minerals deal, and Trump said he "appreciate" Zelensky's message. Talks continued but there was no concrete progress
• 26 April: During the Pope's funeral, Zelensky met Trump. The White House called it "very productive," while Zelensky said it was "very symbolic" and had "potential to become historic"
• 30 April: Ukraine's deputy prime minister has travelled to the US to sign a deal with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent

At 13:00 BST today, the Ukrainecast team will be answering your questions about the resources deal, and you can watch it live on this page.

Ukrainecast presenter Lucy Hockings will host the session, with your questions answered by our Ukraine correspondent James Waterhouse, BBC Verify's Olga Robinson and diplomatic correspondent James Landale.

Got a question you want answered? You can get in touch in the ways:

• WhatsApp, Signal or Telegram: +44 330 1239480
• Email: Ukrainecast@bbc.co.uk

The episode will also be available to download from 17:00 BST.

Image source, Getty Images

Volodymyr Zelensky has spoken out against Russian drone attacks that took place last night.

He says the city of Odesa was hit by 21 drones, causing "numerous fires broke out" and resulting in deaths.

He adds that other areas, including Kyiv and Sumy, were also attacked.

Zelensky says Russia has been "ignoring" US proposals for a full and unconditional ceasefire, so "continued pressure" on Russia is needed to bring them to the negotiating table.

• As a reminder, Russia hasn't commented on the strikes, and its installed governor in Kherson says seven people were killed by Ukrainian strikes last night

On the Russian strikes in Odesa, the BBC has spoken to Odesa-based security analyst Hanna Shelest, who called the attack "terrifying".

"It was one of the worst nights, at least [since] last year," she says. "The area is quite residential as we know, it is the school and the residential building that had been burned and other skyscrapers in different districts around 15km from us being targeted."

"You heard both the very heavy explosions that were 1km from the epicentre of these, my windows were trembling. Really scary."

Image source, Getty Images

Russia's defence ministry says eight Ukrainian drones were destroyed overnight.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's air force says Russia launched 170 drones and five ballistic missiles. Of these, 74 drones were shot down and 68 decoy drones were lost in flight without causing any damage.

As we've been reporting, both Ukraine and Russia say people have been killed in the strikes.

The BBC has not independently verified either claim by Ukraine or Russia.

Earlier, we reported that the governor of the Ukrainian city of Odesa says at least two people were killed in a Russian drone attack overnight.

Now, Russian local officials are also reporting deaths from Ukrainian strikes.

Ukrainian drones have killed at least seven people and injured more than 20 in a Russian-controlled part of Kherson in southern Ukraine, its Russian-installed governor has said.

Vladimir Saldo says Ukraine hit a market in Oleshky at about 09:30 local time this morning (07:30 BST), causing the casualties.

The BBC has not independently verified either claim by Ukraine or Russia.

Image source, Getty Images

The signing of the natural resource deal between the US and Ukraine marks the completion of a long saga about investment in Ukraine's minerals.

Back in October last year, just before Donald Trump won the election, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky put forward a "victory plan" to former US President Joe Biden.

As well as other key points, like joining Nato, the plan called for the US and the EU to jointly protect Ukraine's vital natural resources and share their economic benefits.

In 2021, Kyiv also signed a similar agreement, external with the EU. According to a press release, it "include activities along the entire value chain of both primary and secondary critical raw materials and batteries".

Jon Donnison
Reporting from Ukraine

I think Ukrainians are pretty pleased.

Government officials feel they have a better deal than the one on the table earlier in the year. There was that row in the White House Oval Office when the deal was meant to be signed back then. What Ukraine has got now seems to be considerable concessions from the Americans.

Previously, Donald Trump spoke about a deal where Ukraine would repay all the billions of dollars in aid and military support it has received over the last three years. That's not the case with this deal. Instead, it will set up a joint investment fund to help Ukraine pay for future military and humanitarian aid, as well as reconstruction efforts once the war is over.

This isn’t a peace deal - there aren’t any explicit security guarantees from the Americans for Ukraine in this agreement.

But there’s an unspoken belief that if America has more money invested in the country, they’ll want to protect those interests.

Jon Donnison
Reporting from Ukraine

In the resources deal signed yesterday, there's a lot of detail about a fund and not so much detail about the resources that America is going to have access to.

My understanding is that this will be a joint investment fund between the US and Ukraine, with them having equal control over it and each contributing the same.

The money that is raised through the investment fund will go towards military assistance and towards reconstruction.

What America gets in return is licences for future projects in Ukraine - mining, extracting minerals like titanium and graphite.

For the first 10 years of this deal, the money will go to the reconstruction of Ukraine, but this is a long-term deal and after that I think the profits will be shared.

Image source, Getty Images

A Ukrainian MP has voiced support for the resources deal.

Speaking to the BBC, Lisa Yasko says: "What is important for us is that this deal is not actually a debt obligation to the United States."

As our correspondent Tom Bateman points out, the deal gives Washington access to Ukraine's natural resources in exchange for future US assistance, rather than Ukraine having to pay back the US for its previous support.

Yasko adds that the agreement is a "fair deal" where the United States is investing in the reconstruction fund and the partnership will be on a 50:50 basis.

Abdujalil Abdurasulov & Robert Plummer
BBC News

Kyiv estimates that about 5% of the world's critical raw materials are in Ukraine.

This includes some 19 million tonnes of proven reserves of graphite, which Ukraine says makes the nation one of the top five leading countries for the supply of the mineral. Graphite is used to make batteries for electric vehicles.

Ukraine has 7% of Europe's supplies of titanium, a lightweight metal used in the construction of everything from aeroplanes to power stations.

It's also home to a third of all European lithium deposits, the key component in current batteries.

Other elements found in Ukraine include beryllium and uranium, which are both crucial for nuclear weapons and reactors.

Deposits of copper, lead, zinc, silver, nickel, cobalt and manganese are also significant.

Further, Ukraine has significant deposits of rare earth metals. These are a group of 17 elements that are used to produce weapons, wind turbines, electronics and other products vital in the modern world.

Some of the mineral deposits, though, are on land controlled by Russia.

There is more on this in our explainer.