Footage released by Russia’s Defense Ministry on Aug. 30 has drawn attention after a map displayed behind Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov appeared to outline ambitions beyond Moscow’s officially stated war goals. The map, visible as Gerasimov delivered remarks on Russia’s ongoing spring-summer campaign, suggested potential plans to capture Odesa and Kharkiv oblasts in addition to continued fighting and missile strikes against Ukrainian cities, despite the backdrop of peace talks.

Russia included Ukraine’s Odesa and Mykolaiv regions as part of its territory on a map displayed during the Saturday address by Chief of the General Staff of the Russian army, Valery Gerasimov. pic.twitter.com/silQIH27PV

— KyivPost (@KyivPost) September 1, 2025

Up to now, Russia has maintained that its primary objective was the full takeover of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts. However, the presence of Odesa and Kharkiv on the map hinted at broader aspirations. These territories had not previously been listed among Moscow’s official demands. At present, Russia controls only a small portion of Kharkiv Oblast - around 4% - while Odesa Oblast remains entirely under Ukrainian authority. Securing them would grant Russia dominance over Ukraine’s Black Sea coastline, along with key industrial and transport hubs, which have long figured in the Kremlin’s strategic calculus.

The question of territorial concessions has also been raised in the diplomatic arena. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly conditioned peace on Ukraine abandoning its NATO aspirations and relinquishing control over several major cities. These demands resurfaced in the July talks held in Istanbul, which concluded in under an hour without progress. The Kremlin has insisted on these terms as essential for any settlement.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump, since returning to office in January, has pledged to act quickly to broker peace. One of the ideas floated was a “land swap” arrangement, discussed with European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. According to a source in Ukraine’s Presidential Office, the Russian proposal involved Kyiv giving up areas of Donetsk and Luhansk still under Ukrainian control in exchange for a partial Russian withdrawal from parts of Sumy and Kharkiv.

Zelensky publicly dismissed such scenarios on Aug. 9, making clear that Ukraine would not agree to surrender territory as a means of ending the war. His rejection highlighted Kyiv’s consistent stance against concessions that would legitimize Russian occupation.

Despite the apparent ambitions shown on the Defense Ministry map, Russia faces steep challenges in translating them into reality. Progress on the ground has been limited: since November 2022, Russian forces have seized 5,842 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory - around 2,256 square miles - equivalent to just under 1% of the country’s landmass. Capturing Odesa and Kharkiv would require far greater military advances and time, underscoring the gap between Moscow’s potential objectives and its actual capacity.