A shocking map of Ukraine pictured behind Russian generals appears to have betrayed Vladimir Putin's aim to seize two extra regions of the country. The Kremlin has laid claim to the regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson since Russia launched its full scale invasion in 2022.

Images from a military briefing from Russia's Ministry of Defence show Mykolaiv and Odesa also forming part of Russia's plans. This is despite the fact that none of the four regions are entirely under Russian control.

Yaroslav Trofimov, the Wall Street Journal's chief foreign affairs correspondent, said the map likely reflected Russia’s military aims in Ukraine to cover half the country, including Kharkiv and Odesa.

The clip in which the map can clearly be seen was released on August 30 by Russia's defence ministry to state-run news outlets.

Putin has made no secret of his wish to conquer Odesa, which he has described as a "Russian city".

At a meeting in Alaska with US President Donald Trump in August, Putin is reported to have put forward the idea of freezing the frontline if Kyiv gave up the whole of the Donbas region. The map suggests Russia's ambitions reach far beyond that region.

Putin said on Tuesday that the Trump administration is listening to the Kremlin’s justifications for its invasion of Ukraine. He claimed Moscow and Washington have come to a "mutual understanding" about the conflict.

The Russian leader complained that former US President Joe Biden paid no attention to Moscow’s arguments.

Putin said at a meeting with Slovakia's president Robert Fico: "Now we see this mutual understanding, it’s noticeable... We are very happy about this and hope this constructive dialogue will continue."

Russia faces possible punitive actions from Mr Trump, who has expressed frustration at Putin’s lack of engagement in US-led peace efforts. He has threatened "severe consequences".

On the key issue of possible postwar security guarantees for Ukraine to deter another Russian invasion, Putin said it seemed to him that there was an opportunity to find consensus, but he didn’t elaborate further.

While Putin reiterated that Moscow will not accept NATO membership for Ukraine, he also said that he had never objected to Ukraine joining the European Union.

It is an apparent change of tune compared with comments issued last week by Putin's foreign ministry, which issued a series of demands, including Ukraine’s total disarmament and the country cutting all military ties with the West.

Press chief Maria Zakharova said: "We proceed from the assumption that the agreement must include demilitarisation, denazification, neutral, non-aligned and non-nuclear status for Ukraine."