The President of Panama, Jose Raul Mulino, has announced that he is not going to reduce the fees for the passage of American ships through the Panama Canal after the protest of the newly elected US President Donald Trump, EFE agency reports.
"My answer is no. The prices are not set at the whim of the presidents or the canal administration. This is an open, public process," said Mulino. The president of Panama emphasized that after Trump's inauguration in January 2025, he would be ready to discuss such issues as the joint fight against illegal immigration. At the same time, Mulino emphasized that Washington will not succeed in establishing control over the Panama Canal. "There is no option to discuss the review of the legal and political reality," Mulino said, adding that the canal belongs to Panama.
On December 22, Trump announced on his Truth Social social network that the US may demand the return of control over the Panama Canal if the current conditions of its use are not reviewed.
He criticized the high tariffs charged to use the canal and emphasized that the transfer of control of the canal in 1999 was a "gesture of cooperation" rather than a concession to other countries, and called on the Panamanian authorities to review their policies. declared that "every meter of the Panama Canal belongs to Panama".
