Are U.S warships and boats free to transit the Panama Canal as claimed by State Department? Here's what the country's president has said

The Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino has reportedly and recently refuted all sorts of claims made by the US State Department that the US warships can transit the Panama Canal without any charge whatsoever, reported The Hill.

According to The Hill, Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino made the eventual statement during a weekly press conference while totally rejecting the US State Department's statement that suggested a deal had been actually reached allowing free passage for US warships which the US claimed would save millions of dollars annually.

Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino stated that he had informed the US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth quite recently that he could not at all set or waive the canal transit fees and was extremely surprised by the announcement of the US State Department. Adding onto that, he has also instructed the ambassador of Panama in Washington to dispute the State Department's statement.


More than that, the Panama Canal Authority has also reportedly and recently released a statement saying that they had made no such adjustments to the fees.

The US State Department had announced via X (formerly known as Twitter) that the US government vessels could transit the canal without any charge, but at the same time, they did not immediately made comments on the denial of Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino, asserted The Hill. Also during such ongoing times, Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino called the US statement a total ‘falsity’ and just ‘intolerable’.

These statements now follow a visit by the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio who conveyed US President Donald Trump's concerns about China's influence over the canal. US President Donald Trump believes that the presence of China might actually violate the treaty that led to the US turning the canal over to Panama in the year 1999 which eventually called for the permanent neutrality of the Panama Canal, noted The Hill.

FAQs:

What did the Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino assert regarding the US warships during recent times?

The Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino has reportedly and recently refuted all sorts of claims made by the US State Department that the US warships can transit the Panama Canal without any charge whatsoever.

What was being stated by the Panamanian President Jose Raul Murino regarding the US State Department’s announcement?

Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino stated that he had informed the US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth quite recently that he could not at all set or waive the canal transit fees and was extremely surprised by the announcement of the US State Department.