Panama's foreign minister says the country has had no contact with Trump whatsoever

The government of Panama has had no contact with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump or his representatives and reiterates that the sovereignty of the Panama Canal is non-negotiable. This was stated by the Central American country's Foreign Minister Javier Martinez-Acha Vazquez during a briefing on December 7, a recording of which was published by the Panamanian Foreign Ministry on its X (former Twitter) page.

"I want to be clear. Trump's remarks today about the amount of money are not true, no offer has been made to the government, and let's be clear: the canal belongs to the Panamanians and will remain so," he commented.

Earlier, on December 25, 2024, Trump said he would appoint Florida official Kevin Cabrera as ambassador to Panama. He noted that Cabrera served as an official in Miami-Dade County in Florida and also worked on Trump's 2020 staff.

On Dec. 22, Trump said the U.S. would demand control of the Panama Canal be returned unless the Central American republic renegotiates the terms of its use. Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino, in turn, emphasized that the canal can not become the property of the United States.

Before that, on December 10, Trump said that Canada and Mexico could become US states. Later, on December 17, the media reported that Canada would spend $900 million to secure the border with the United States.