Former Trump White House official Fiona Hill says Russia offered to back off Venezuela if the U.S. let them take Ukraine — and Trump’s team didn’t say no.

THE DETAILS: In newly resurfaced comments from a 2019 congressional hearing, Hill revealed that Russian officials repeatedly floated what she called a “very strange swap” — Moscow would stop supporting Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro if Washington allowed Russia to act freely in Ukraine.

Hill, Trump’s top adviser on Russia at the time, told AP this week that Russia’s then-ambassador to the U.S., Anatoly Antonov, hinted at the deal multiple times in private conversations. “Hint hint, nudge nudge, wink wink — how about doing a deal?” she recalled. “But nobody was interested.”

WHY IT MATTERS: Hill says the offer was never formally made — but it shows how Trump’s foreign policy helped blur the lines between diplomacy and backroom deals.

What’s worse: Trump’s recent military raid in Venezuela — framed as a law enforcement op — undermines America’s moral authority to oppose Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “We’ve just had a situation where the U.S. has taken over… using fiction,” Hill said.

THE BACKDROP: Trump sent Hill to Moscow in 2019 to deliver the message that Venezuela and Ukraine weren’t up for trade. At the time, the U.S. recognized opposition leader Juan Guaidó as Venezuela’s interim president.

Fast-forward to now: Trump’s forces ousted Maduro, claiming to “run” Venezuela policy. He’s also threatened military action in Colombia and said he might seize Greenland — a Danish territory and NATO member.

BETWEEN THE LINES: Hill says the Kremlin benefits from Trump’s strongman antics. The idea of big powers carving up “spheres of influence” plays right into Putin’s hands.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Trump’s foreign policy isn’t just reckless — it’s a gift to authoritarian regimes that thrive on chaos and power plays.