🇺🇸🇺🇦🇷🇺 US president-elect Donald Trump intends to push Ukraine to lower its age of connoscription in an effort to stabilise the country’s front lines ahead of direct negotiations with Russia.

Speaking to US network ABC News on Sunday, Mike Waltz, Trump’s national security pick, gave the clearest picture yet of the new administration’s plan to end the war.

Waltz said that its first steps would be to open dialogue with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin — to whom the US has not spoken directly since the war began — and to ask Kyiv to mobilise more men to stabilise Ukraine’s front lines ahead of negotiations.

Ukraine’s connoscription age was lowered from 27 to 25 in April, but the average age of a Ukrainian soldier is 43. Lowering the age is politically unpopular and Ukraine has said it wants to protect its future generations.

https://archive.is/qKFdr

📝 Mike Waltz: "Their draft age right now is 26, not 18. They could generate hundreds of thousands of new soldiers."

🇺🇸⚠️🇻🇪🇻🇪 —The United States government has officially released an updated poster detailing the increased reward for anyone providing information leading to the capture of Nicolás Maduro.

🇻🇪🇻🇪❌🇦🇷 — Nicolás Maduro called Argentina's president, Javier Milei, a "Nazi Zionist" and a "social sadist":

"The far-right led by a Nazi Zionist, a social sadist named Javier Milei, along with the North American empire, believes they can impose a president on Venezuela. No one in this world can impose a president on Venezuela, they have not been able to, and they never will."

🇵🇾❗️🇻🇪 — The government of Paraguay has reaffirmed its support for the elected president of Venezuela, Edmundo González Urrutia, and strongly condemned the illegitimate regime of Nicolás Maduro:

"The Government of the Republic of Paraguay reaffirms its firm support for the elected president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Edmundo González Urrutia, and absolutely condemns the actions of the illegitimate regime of Nicolás Maduro.

It also expresses its solidarity with the Venezuelan people, who are fighting for their freedom and to return to living in democracy. It demands fundamental guarantees for all inhabitants, including foreigners residing in the country, and calls for respect for human rights and the release of political prisoners in Venezuela."

Presidencia Paraguay (@PresidenciaPy) 🖇

🏴‍☠️❌🇻🇪🇻🇪 — Matthew VanDyke, founder of Sons of Liberty International, revealed that he has been leading undercover operations in Venezuela since 2019 to overthrow Nicolás Maduro's regime.

➡️ He accused the dictator of lying about "Ukrainian mercenaries," clarifying that those fighting are Venezuelans struggling for their freedom.

💥 VanDyke promised to continue these actions until democracy is restored, pointing out that Maduro is increasingly isolated and facing determined resistance.


Matthew VanDyke (@Matt_VanDyke) 🖇

🇻🇪🇻🇪🤝🪖 — The Venezuelan Armed Forces, completely subordinated to the Chavista regime, reaffirmed their loyalty to Nicolás Maduro.

🇺🇸🇺🇸❗️🇻🇪🇻🇪 — 💰 Mario Díaz-Balart announced that he co-sponsored a bill to increase the reward for Nicolás Maduro to $100 million, describing him as the leader of a criminal enterprise that fuels narco-terrorism and represses human rights.

"I co-sponsored this bill in the House to raise the reward for the dictator Maduro to $100 million.

We must continue to support the people of Venezuela in their fight for freedom.

Today, Maduro has mocked democracy and the rule of law by proclaiming himself president. Maduro's regime is a criminal enterprise that fuels narco-terrorism, suppresses independent media, and violates human rights with impunity. It's time for Maduro and his thugs to consider where they might seek exile if they want to avoid the fate of other dictators who defied the will of the people."

Mario Díaz-Balart (@MarioDB) 🖇

🇻🇪🚩❌🇻🇪 — The Communist Party of Venezuela (PCV) denounces that the ruling Chavista Regime arrested Enrique Márquez, the Left-wing Presidential Candidate for a Coalition of Leftist parties opposed to the Chavista Dictator Nicolas Maduro

In Statement, it said:

The Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Venezuela (PCV) denounces before national and international public opinion the arbitrary detention of Enrique Márquez, former presidential candidate supported by Venezuelan communists in the elections of July 28, 2024.

On the night of January 7, the disappearance of Márquez, leader of the People-Centered party and member of the Popular Democratic Front (FDP), a platform that brings together leftist, popular and revolutionary political and social organizations, including the PCV, was confirmed.

The Communist Party of Venezuela (PCV) condemns this escalation of repression against the forces that call for the restoration of the Constitution and the rule of law in the country.

We demand the immediate release and appearance of former presidential candidate Enrique Márquez and an end to government repression.

Defending the Constitution is not a crime.

🔗 Link

🇧🇷🇫🇷💬🇻🇪🇻🇪 — French President Emmanuel Macron and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva discussed the political situation in Venezuela, completely ignoring the persecution ordered by the regime against the opposition and calling for Nicolás Maduro to resume dialogue with those being targeted.

📝 "France and Brazil are willing to facilitate the resumption of dialogue to allow for the return of democracy and stability in Venezuela," stated a note from the French presidency, which also highlighted that both presidents emphasized the immediate release of all individuals detained for their political views or engagement with the opposition.

"All individuals detained due to their political opinions or commitments must be released immediately," the note added.

☎️ The French presidency further reported that Macron had spoken with González and María Corina Machado via a phone call, during which he reaffirmed France's support for the Venezuelan people and defended their right to peaceful protest and free assembly.

🇻🇪🇻🇪📞🇨🇺🇳🇮 — Venezuelan Regime leader Nicolas Maduro claims that the Bolivarian Armed Forces are now preparing for a "broader Armed Struggle" alongside the Communist Regime in Cuba and the Anti-Christian Sandinista Regime in Nicaragua, implying that triangle of failed socialist states perceive that a wave of direct interventions by the US and its regional allies is on the verge of happening against them.

➡️ On the crowd watching, flags of the Far-Left FSLN terror organization, Communist versions of Cuban flag and flags of Bolivia

🔗 Monitoreamos (@monitoreamos)

🇻🇪🇻🇪🤝🇧🇷 — 🇵🇷 Nicolás Maduro suggested that the Brazilian Army go to Puerto Rico to confront the U.S. military and "liberate" the island, currently a territory under U.S. control.