Washington, Jan 6: Russia at one stage signalled a willingness to give the United States leeway in Venezuela in return for Washington softening its stance on Ukraine, according to congressional testimony by former US official Fiona Hill that has resurfaced in recent reporting.
The account traces back to Hill’s testimony before Congress in 2019, when she served as senior director for Russian and European affairs on the US National Security Council during the first Trump administration. The episode was recalled in a recent report that revisited her remarks amid renewed focus on great-power bargaining.
Hill told lawmakers that during early 2019, Moscow sent strong public signals suggesting a possible linkage between US actions in Venezuela and Russia’s interests in Ukraine. She said the messaging came through public statements, media commentary and articles rather than formal diplomatic channels.
According to Hill, the Russian narrative was framed around competing spheres of influence. As Washington invoked the Monroe Doctrine while pressuring the government in Caracas, Moscow pointed to Ukraine as what it viewed as its own strategic backyard.
Hill said the idea of a Venezuela–Ukraine trade-off was openly discussed in public forums and Russian media, to the extent that questions were raised during a US State Department briefing about whether such a swap was being considered. She added that during an unclassified visit to Moscow, discussions with Russian counterparts reinforced the impression that they were interested in linking the two issues.
At the time, Russia had deployed personnel and equipment to Venezuela as the US stepped up pressure on President Nicolás Maduro’s government.
Hill made it clear in her testimony that she rejected the notion of any such deal in her interactions with Russian officials. She described the episode as part of a broader Russian effort to frame global politics around reciprocal zones of influence, a concept she said ran counter to US policy.
