Russia's Foreign Ministry has called on President Donald Trump to reaffirm the current international agreement surrounding the Panama Canal and place the canal under the control of the Panamanian state.
Alexander Shchetinin, director of the Latin American and South American Affairs Department at the Russian Foreign Ministry, told the Russian news agency TASS that President Trump “will respect the current international legal system” regarding the canal, which is enshrined in two 1977 treaties between the United States and Panama. “He said he was looking forward to it.
The agreement relinquished American control of the canal by 2000, guaranteeing its neutrality.
President Donald Trump (left) and the Danish cargo ship Lars Maersk (right) sail through the Agua Clara Locks of the Panama Canal in Colon City, Panama on December 28, 2024. (Jim Watson/AFP, left, Arnulfo Franco/AFP, right)
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Since winning a landslide election victory in November, President Trump has slammed Panama, accusing China of giving China control of key maritime trade routes and leaving U.S. ships “ripped off” in the process. He has criticized the country.
In his inaugural address on Monday, President Trump doubled down on his frustration, declaring that America would “take it back.”
“We hope that in the upcoming consultations between the Panamanian leadership and President Trump on the issue of management of the Panama Canal, which is certainly within the scope of bilateral relations, both parties will agree to the current international law of this important waterway. We expect them to respect the system,” Shchetinin said.
He said Russia is one of 40 countries that have joined the protocol agreement to recognize the canal's neutrality and keep it “secure and open.”
”[The U.S. and Panama] “We must protect the canal from all threats to neutrality,” Shchetinin said, adding, “At the same time, the aforementioned right of the United States to defend the Panama Canal does not imply a right and should not be interpreted as a right. There was also a reservation that there would be no such thing.” “We will not interfere in Panama's internal affairs, and no action on the part of the United States will violate Panama's territorial integrity or political independence.”
President Trump will deliver his second presidential inaugural address on January 20, 2024.
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President Trump has criticized the deal, previously calling it a “big mistake” on Carter's part.
“The United States spent more money and lost 38,000 lives than ever before in building the Panama Canal,” President Trump said in his inaugural address on Monday.
“We have been treated very badly by this foolish gift that should never have been given, and Panama has broken its promise to us. The purpose of our treaty and the spirit of our treaty are Completely violated.”
“American ships are grossly overcharged in every way and not treated fairly in any way, including the U.S. Navy. And worst of all, China operates the Panama Canal. And we didn't give it to China, we gave it to Panama and we're going to bring it back.”
Canal administrator Ricaurte Vázquez said this month that China does not control the canal and that all countries would be treated equally under the neutrality treaty.
The 51-mile maritime trade route cuts through the center of Panama using a series of locks and reservoirs, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The United States built the canal in the early 1900s, looking for a way to ease the passage of commercial and military vessels between coasts.
The canal eliminated the need for ships to detour around Cape Horn at the southern tip of South America, saving them approximately 7,000 miles of travel.
Marshall Islands cargo ship Cape Hellas (left) and Portuguese cargo ship MSC Elma sail through Gatun Lake near the Agua Clara Locks of the Panama Canal in Colon City, Panama, December 28, 2024. (Arnulfo Franco/AFP via Getty Images)
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Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino issued a statement rejecting “The canal is and always will be Panama's property and will remain under Panamanian control in terms of perpetual neutrality,” Trump said.
He also took issue with President Trump's suggestion that the United States “gave” the canal to Panama, adding: “There is no nation in the world that would stand in the way of our government.”
“Dialogue is always a way to clarify the points mentioned without compromising our rights, full sovereignty and ownership of the canal,” Mulino said.
FOX News' Caitlin McFall and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
