- By Shivangi Sharma
- Wed, 07 Jan 2026 03:48 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Russia once floated an extraordinary and unconventional proposal to the United States, offering Washington influence over Venezuela in exchange for stepping away from Ukraine, according to resurfaced testimony by a former senior official from Donald Trump’s first administration.
The claim was made by Fiona Hill, who served as senior director for Russia and European affairs on the National Security Council. Hill revealed the exchange during her 2019 congressional testimony as part of Trump’s first impeachment inquiry, years before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Hill said the proposal surfaced informally during Venezuela’s 2019 political and economic crisis, a period marked by widespread blackouts, food shortages, and mass protests against President Nicolás Maduro. The turmoil followed Venezuela’s disputed 2018 presidential election, which the United States and several Western nations refused to recognise as legitimate.
According to Hill, Russian officials suggested that Moscow could ease its backing of Maduro if Washington reciprocated by reducing its involvement in Ukraine. The idea was conveyed through “hint, hint, nudge nudge” messaging rather than formal diplomacy, she testified.
Monroe Doctrine Invoked By Moscow
Russian media reportedly pushed the narrative by invoking the Monroe Doctrine, the 1823 US policy asserting American dominance in the Western Hemisphere. The implication was that just as Washington claimed influence in Latin America, Moscow expected similar deference in what it considered its own “backyard,” particularly Ukraine. Hill said the same doctrine was later cited by Trump to justify US actions against the Maduro regime.
Ukraine Link And Impeachment Context
Hill suggested the overture may have been loosely tied to the Burisma scandal, which ultimately triggered Trump’s impeachment. The controversy centred on efforts to pressure Ukraine to announce investigations involving Hunter Biden, the son of then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.
At the time, Hill said US officials flatly dismissed the proposal. Speaking later to the Associated Press, she reiterated that American policymakers refused to link Venezuela and Ukraine, telling Russian officials clearly: “Ukraine and Venezuela are not related to each other.”