Sovereignty over Panama Canal ‘non-negotiable’: President Mulino

Panama Canal

Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino reaffirmed the country's sovereignty over the Panama Canal after US President-elect Donald Trump threatened to retake the canal.

After Mulino’s retort about continued Panamanian control, Trump said, “We’ll see about that!” on his Truth Social platform.

In a post on his Facebook account later Sunday, Trump posted an image of a US-flagged vessel on a body of water with the caption “Welcome to the United States Canal!”

Mulino said in a video statement on X that every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent zones is part of Panama and will continue to be.

Earlier, Trump commented on Panama's high fees, saying "Our Navy and Commerce have been treated in a very unfair and injudicious way. The fees being charged by Panama are ridiculous."

The Panama Canal is an artificial waterway opened in 1914. It was constructed under US supervision and remained under US control until it was handed over to Panama in 1999 under a treaty signed by former President Jimmy Carter in 1977—a move Trump described as "foolish."