Panama responds to Trump's words about his intention to take control of Panama Canal

Panama's President José Raúl Mulino said that his country has no intention of transferring control of the Panama Canal to the United States. If necessary, Panama will use international law to regulate relations with Washington.

The Panamanian leader reported this on his official page on the social network X (formerly Twitter).

"I repeat what I said in my message to the nation on December 22: the canal belongs and will belong to Panama, and its administration will be under Panamanian control," the President's message says.

Jose Mulino emphasized that the canal was not someone's concession, but was the result of a generational struggle. The culmination of this struggle occurred in 1999, when the Torrijos-Carter Treaties was signed.

"Since then, for 25 years, we have managed and expanded it, responsibly serving the world and its trade, including the United States of America," the Panamanian President added.

According to him, Panama will use international law and the legal framework of the Torrijos-Carter Treaties as the ideal way to regulate relations between countries.

He noted that dialogue is always a way to clarify the above-mentioned points, without undermining Panama's rights, sovereignty and ownership of the canal.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, on January 20, U.S. President Donald Trump announced during his inauguration ceremony that he intends to return the Panama Canal to American control.

According to him, the reason for this is that Panama allegedly charges too high a fee for passage from American ships. In addition, the canal is allegedly managed by China.

Previously, Trump has stated several times that the United States may use economic and military methods to regain control of the Panama Canal.

Recall that the day before, Trump also announced that he intends to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the American Gulf.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum then reminded Trump that previously the southwestern United States belonged to Mexico and was called American Mexico.