Panama's president refused to discuss the canal's ownership with the U.S. secretary of state

Panamanian President Raul Mulino refused to discuss the issue of ownership of the Panama Canal during talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Reuters reported on January 30 that.

"I cannot negotiate, much less open the process of negotiating the canal <...> it's classified. The canal belongs to Panama," Mulino said.

He also clarified that he had not received any information about the canal issue from the U.S. Embassy in Panama beforehand.

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Earlier, on January 23, Bloomberg reported that Rubio plans to visit Pan ama after U.S. President Donald Trump's promises to regain control of the Panama Canal.

Prior to that, on Jan. 20, Trump reiterated the thesis at his inauguration that the Panama Canal is "run" by China and therefore the U.S. intends to "take back" the waterway. Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino again rejected the Republican's statements on the subject and emphasized the canal's belonging to his country.

On December 22, 2024, Trump said that the U.S. will demand to regain control of the Panama Canal if the Central American republic does not renegotiate the terms of its use.