Ukraine says it has agreed to the terms of a major deal that would give the US access to its deposits of rare earth minerals.

Kyiv hopes the deal – which would give the US a financial stake in the country – will encourage the White House to protect Ukraine if the war with Russia reignites after a potential ceasefire.

US President Donald Trump said an agreement would help American taxpayers “get their money back” for aid sent to Ukraine throughout the war and would give Ukraine “the right to fight on” against Russia.

But Ukrainian President Zelensky said no US security guarantees had been agreed yet, but he hoped the agreement would “lead to further deals”.

Key details have not yet been made public, but on Wednesday Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said Ukraine and the US had finalised a version of the agreement.

Speaking to Ukrainian TV, Shmyhal said the preliminary agreement envisages that an “investment fund” will be set up for Ukraine’s reconstruction.

Kyiv and Washington will be managing the fund on “equal terms”, the prime minister added.

He said Ukraine would contribute 50% of future proceeds from state-owned mineral resources, oil and gas to the fund, and the fund would then invest in projects in Ukraine itself.

The New York Times reported, citing a draft document, that the US would own the maximum amount of the fund allowed under US law, but not necessarily all of it.

A minerals deal was at the centre of a rift between Trump and Zelensky last week, with the Ukrainian president rejecting an initial request for $500bn (£395bn) in revenue from rare minerals.

Media reports say this demand has since been dropped.

“The provisions of the deal are much better for Ukraine now,” a source in Ukraine’s government told the BBC.

On Tuesday, Trump said the US had given Ukraine between $300bn (£237bn) and $350bn (£276bn) in aid, and that he wanted to “get that money back” through a deal.

BBC Verify analysis did not find evidence for this figure.

Zelensky has been pushing for a deal to include a firm security guarantee from the US.

But on Wednesday, Ukraine’s leader said no such guarantee had been made.

“I wanted to have a sentence on security guarantees for Ukraine, and it’s important that it’s there,” he said.

Asked by the BBC if he would be prepared to walk away from the agreement if Trump did not offer the guarantees he wanted, Zelensky said: “I want to find a Nato path or something similar.

“If we don’t get security guarantees, we won’t have a ceasefire, nothing will work, nothing.”

Despite this, Ukrainian PM Shmyhal said on Wednesday the US supported “Ukraine’s efforts to obtain security guarantees to build lasting peace”.

He said Ukraine would not sign the deal until Zelensky and Trump “agree on security guarantees” and decide on how to “tie this preliminary agreement” to a US security guarantee.

Yuri Sak, adviser to Ukraine’s ministry of strategic industries, told the BBC earlier on Wednesday: “There’s no point in signing any deal on critical minerals if Russians can reinvade one month after signing the deal.”

He said discussions about security guarantees needed to continue.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna, who has been leading negotiations, told the Financial Times that the deal was “part of a bigger picture”.

The prospect of a minerals deal was first proposed by Zelensky last year as a way to offer the US a tangible reason to continue supporting Ukraine.

Trump said on Tuesday that Ukraine would get “the right to fight on” in return for access to its minerals, though he did not confirm an agreement had yet been reached.

He suggested the US would continue to supply equipment and ammunition to Ukraine “until we have a deal with Russia”.

He also said there would be a need for “some form of peacekeeping” in Ukraine following any peace deal, in a form that would need to be “acceptable to everyone”.

Trump said on Monday that Russia was open to accepting European peacekeepers in Ukraine, but Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the Kremlin would not consider this as an option.

Shmyhal said the US and Ukraine have prepared a final version of the agreement, which Ukraine’s government will authorise for signing on Wednesday.

Trump has said he expects Zelensky to sign the deal on a visit to Washington on Friday.

Zelensky said he would be “very direct” with Trump by asking whether the US would continue supporting Ukraine or not.

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

This includes some 19m tonnes of proven reserves of graphite, which the Ukrainian Geological Survey state agency 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 also has significant deposits of titanium, lithium and rare earth metals – a group of 17 elements that are used to produce weapons, wind turbines, electronics and other products vital in the modern world.

Vladimir Putin has not yet addressed reports that the terms of a deal between the US and Ukraine have been agreed.

But on Monday evening he told state TV he was ready to “offer” resources to American partners in joint projects, including mining in Russia’s “new territories” – a reference to parts of eastern Ukraine that Russia has occupied since launching a full-scale invasion three years ago.

Putin said a potential US-Ukraine deal on rare minerals was not a concern and that Russia “undoubtedly have, I want to emphasise, significantly more resources of this kind than Ukraine”.

“As for the new territories, it’s the same. We are ready to attract foreign partners to the so-called new, to our historical territories, which have returned to the Russian Federation,” he added.

Gardaí (Irish police) are continuing to question a man in connection with the death of a woman on board a ferry sailing from Wales to Ireland.

The incident occurred on Tuesday afternoon, on the 14:00 GMT Stena Line sailing from Fishguard to Rosslare in County Wexford.

Gardaí and emergency services attended the scene after being alerted to what police described as “an unexplained death” shortly after 17:00 local time. They then boarded the ship, which is currently docked at Rosslare Harbour.

The woman was later pronounced dead. Gardaí are currently awaiting the results of a post-mortem.

Irish broadcaster RTÉ reported that the ship’s captain made an emergency call about half an hour before the ship docked.

On Tuesday evening, the 19:00 outbound Stena sailing from Rosslare to Fishguard was cancelled with passengers being accommodated by Irish ferries on the 20:45 sailing from Rosslare to Pembroke, according to the company.

Wexford councillor Ger Carthy said locals reacted with “shock and sadness” at the “tragic events”.

“What transpired here last night and the response that was given by the gardaí and the state agencies was second to none,” he added.

In a statement, Stenaline said: “We can confirm that An Garda Síochána is investigating an incident that occurred on the 14:00 ferry crossing from Fishguard to Rosslare on Tuesday February 25.

“As this is a live police matter, we cannot provide any further detail on the incident at this time.

“In order to assist with the Garda investigation, last night’s 19:30 and 01:30 Stena Nordica sailings were cancelled. Today’s 08:30 sailing from Rosslare and return from Fishguard at 14:00 have also been cancelled. At this time, Stena Nordica’s next expected departure will be at 19:30 from Rosslare.”

A spokesperson for the Wexford coronor said: “The coroner has been informed of this death and as this is an ongoing investigation no future details will be given at this stage.

“An inquest will be held but not until all investigations have been concluded and the result of the post mortem has been received.”

BP has announced it will cut its renewable energy investments and instead focus on increasing oil and gas production.

The energy giant revealed the shift in strategy on Wednesday following pressure from some investors unhappy its profits and share price have been lower than its rivals.

BP said it would increase its investments in oil and gas by about 20% to $10bn (£7.9bn) a year, while decreasing previously planned funding for renewables by more than $5bn (£3.9bn).

The move comes as rivals Shell and Norwegian company Equinor have also scaled back plans to invest in green energy and US President Donald Trump’s “drill baby drill” comments have encouraged investment in fossil fuels.

Murray Auchincloss, BP’s chief executive, said the energy giant would be “very selective” in investing in businesses working on the energy transition to renewables going forward, with funding reduced to between $1.5bn and $2bn per year.

He said this was part of a strategy “reset” by the company to focus on boosting returns for shareholders.

Helge Lund, chair of BP, added that the new direction of the firm had “cash flow growth” at its heart.

Shares in the company climbed before Tuesday’s announcement but fell shortly after.

BP is one of several firms in the energy industry to return focus on oil and gas production, which has seen an increase in profits as prices have increased following lows seen during the Covid pandemic.

The firm said it plans to increase its production to between 2.3 million and 2.5 million barrels of oil per day by 2030, with hopes of “major” oil and gas projects starting by the end of 2027.

Mr Auchincloss is under pressure to boost profits from some shareholders, including the influential activist group Elliot Management, which took a near £4bn stake in the £70bn company to push for more investment in oil and gas.

In 2024, BP’s net income fell to $8.9bn (£7.2bn), down from $13.8bn the previous year.

However, some other shareholders, as well as environmental groups have voiced concerns over switching focus back to fossil fuel production.

Last week, a group of 48 investors called on the company to allow them a vote on any potential plans to move away from commitments to renewables.

The environmental group Greenpeace UK said the latest move was “proof that fossil fuel companies can’t or won’t be part of climate crisis solutions”.

Challenged on the reduced commitment to investing in renewable energy, Louise Kingham, BP’s senior vice president for Europe and the UK, said none of the changes announced on Tuesday would alter the UK’s green energy plans, which include three wind farms and carbon capture projects.

She said the shift to renewable energy sources had slowed but that BP’s ambition had “not changed” to become a net-zero company.

According to the International Energy Agency, no new fossil fuel projects are compatible with limiting global warming to 1.5C compared to pre-industrial levels,

“We just have to do this transition more smartly and more efficiently and try to get those returns for our owners because they are helping us to do that. If we don’t generate the returns, we can’t invest and do more,” Ms Kingham told a committee of MPs.

“It’s going to take everybody to move in concert to make this happen. It’s not just the decision of one company and what it chooses to do.”

The decrease in renewables will cover biogas, biofuels and electric vehicle charging projects, while BP will look to “capital-light partnerships” in other green energy such as wind and solar.

BP has already placed its offshore wind business in a joint venture with Japanese company Jera and is looking to find a partner to do the same with its solar business.

Five years ago, BP set some of the most ambitious targets among large oil companies to cut production of oil and gas by 40% by 2030, while significantly ramping up investment in renewables.

But in 2023, the company lowered this oil and gas reduction target to 25%.

In the five years since former chief executive Bernard Looney first unveiled his strategy, shareholders have received total returns including dividends of 36%.

In contrast, shareholders in rivals Shell and Exxon have seen returns of 82% and 160% respectively.

BP’s under performance has prompted speculation that it may be a takeover target or may consider moving its main stock market listing to the US where oil and gas companies command higher valuations.

Sir Ian Cheshire, who has held many executive roles at companies such as B&Q owner Kingfisher and Barclays bank, questioned whether BP’s latest move would work.

“I do wonder whether this sort of decision will look right in 10 years,” he told the BBC’s Today programme, added that the “overall energy transition” to renewables was “still going to come”.

“The climate change issue has not gone away, the science hasn’t changed,” he said.

A property in Drogheda, County Louth, is being searched as part of the investigation into the suspected murder of a six-year-old schoolboy who disappeared more than two years ago.

Kyran Durnin was reported missing from his home in Drogheda in August last year, but gardaí (Irish police) believe he may have been killed more than two years earlier.

They began a murder investigation in October, saying they were treating Kyran as missing, presumed dead.

That same month they carried out a dig at his formed family home in Emer Terrace, Dundalk, but there was no sign of his body.

Kyran was originally reported missing alongside his mother, Dayla Durnin, in August 2024.

One of Kyran’s grandmothers claimed she had last seen them in her home in Drogheda and, at that time, she appealed for her daughter Dayla to contact her.

Dayla was later found alive in Great Britain without Kyran.

Gardaí investigating the schoolboy’s disappearance have made two arrests during the course of their inquiry so far.

A man and a woman were arrested two days apart in mid-December but they were both released without charge within a day of being detained.

The man, who was arrested on suspicion of Kyran’s murder, was found dead at his home in Drogheda just days after his release from custody.

He was named locally as 36-year-old Anthony Maguire.

Confirming the latest search at a “domestic residence” in Drogheda, gardaí said they were “aware of ongoing extensive public commentary” on their investigation.

They warned that most of the speculation, rumours and theories on what may have happened to Kyran was “inaccurate and misinformed”.

“Such ill-informed public commentary is not only disruptive to the Garda investigations but also adds to the trauma experienced by victims families,” they added.

Kevin Sharkey, BBC News NI Dublin Reporter

A Garda van and car are parked close to the house which is along a narrow residential street.

The area immediately around the house is cordoned off.

Gardaí are conducting their initial searches here out of public view.

It’s an old-style residential area with TV aerials on most of the rooftops and electrical and telephone wires criss-crossing the street.

While gardaí conduct their searches inside the house, local people are going about their normal daily business and mostly keeping their thoughts about this latest development to themselves.

Kyran had been a pupil at the national [primary] school near his home in Dundalk until the summer of 2022.

He did not return to class after the summer holidays and it is understood authorities were told he was moving to Northern Ireland and to a new school in Newry.

Tusla, the Irish state agency responsible for child welfare and protection, said it received no referrals or concern about Kyran’s attendance or educational welfare between 2022 and 2024.

In early December, two houses were searched in Drogheda. One of the searches involved the use of a cadaver dog.

The results of the searches were not made public.

The Garda Commissioner, Drew Harris, previously said he had never seen a case like this in his 40-year career in policing on both sides of the border.

2021-2022 – Kyran was a pupil at a national [primary] school near his home in Dundalk, but he did not return to the school after the 2022 summer holidays.

May 2024 – Kyran’s family moved out of their home in Emer Terrace in Dundalk, where they had been living for a number of years.

Unknown date in August 2024 – Tusla, the Irish state agency responsible for child protection, alerted gardaí about “a significant concern about Kyran”.

28 August 2024 – The approximate date of the last sighting of the boy and his mother in Drogheda, according to a missing person report made to gardaí.

30 August 2024 – Kyran and his 24-year-old mother Dayla Durnin were reported missing from their home in Drogheda.

4 September 2024 – Gardaí issued a public missing persons appeal, seeking help to find Dayla and Kyran.

16 October 2024 – Gardaí said they now believed that “Kyran is missing, presumed dead” and they confirmed they have begun a murder inquiry.

22 October 2024 – Kyran’s former family home and garden in Emer Terrace, Dundalk, is searched by forensic investigators, as well as nearby open ground.

24 October 2024 – the Dundalk search ends, with police adding that the results of the search were not being released for operational purposes.

31 October 2024 – Tusla declines to publicly release its review of its interactions with Kyran’s family, adding information it held on him was lost in a cyber attack.

10 December 2024 – A woman was arrested by gardaí investigating Kyran’s disappearance and murder but is released without charge the following day.

12 December 2024 – A man was arrested on suspicion of Kyran’s murder but again was released without charge the next day. Two houses in Drogheda were searched.

17 December 2024 – The man who had been arrested and released – named locally as 36-year-old Anthony Maguire – is found dead at his home in Drogheda.

26 February 2024 – Gardaí began a forensic search at a “domestic residence” in Drogheda.