New Delhi, Jan. 7 -- Russian officials indicated in 2019 that the Kremlin would be willing to back off from its support for Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela in exchange for a free hand in Ukraine, according to Fiona Hill, an adviser to President Donald Trump at the time.

The Russians repeatedly floated the idea of a "very strange swap arrangement between Venezuela and Ukraine," Hill said during a congressional hearing in 2019. Her comments surfaced again this week and were shared on social media after the U.S. stealth operation to capture Maduro.

Hill said Russia pushed the idea through articles in Russian media that referenced the Monroe Doctrine - a 19th century principle in which the U.S. opposed European meddling in the Western Hemispher...