Secretary of State Marco Rubio embarks on a diplomatic mission to Central America, aiming to secure lower fees for U.S. goods traversing the Panama Canal and foster closer cooperation on migration. President Trump's demand to reclaim the canal, met with resistance from Panamanian and regional leaders, is viewed as an opening gambit for negotiations.
Updated: 17 minutes agoSecretary of State Marco Rubio, third from right, is received by Panamanian Foreign Minister Javier Martínez-Acha, second left, and John Barrett, Chargé d'affaires, at the international airport in Panama Pacifico, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025.
But Trump hasn’t equivocated - “we’re taking it back,” he declared at his inaugural address - and Rubio isn’t giving the game away. “The president’s been pretty clear he wants to administer the canal again,” he told podcasterThe opening gambit will play out on the first stop of Rubio’s maiden trip as secretary of state, including visits to El Salvador, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica.
Mulino, who leads a pro-U.S. government, has tried to downplay divisions with the Trump administration, but he has underscored that giving up the canal is a nonstarter.The United States built the canal in the early 1900s, a historic feat at the time that opened a route for military and commercial vessels.
Trump has also accused Panama of charging the United States and its companies higher fees to transit the canal - a claim the canal authority denies.
Politics US Foreign Policy PANAMA CANAL US FOREIGN POLICY MARCO RUBIO DONALD TRUMP CENTRAL AMERICA
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