The Russian Foreign Ministry has said that the Panama Canal legally belongs to Panama and warned the United States not to try to take it back, whether through military or economic coercion, Politico reported.
Alexander Shchetinin, director of the Latin American department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, said that Russia "expects that during discussions between the leadership of Panama and US President Donald Trump on issues of control over the Panama Canal, the parties will respect the current international legal regime of this key waterway."
In his words, "Russia reaffirms its obligations to maintain the permanent neutrality of the Panama Canal, advocating for keeping this international transit waterway safe and open." The US has "no right to interfere in the internal affairs of Panama," Shchetinin added.
Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to take ownership of the Panama Canal, raising the issue again in his inaugural address. In it, Trump said that "American ships are grossly overvalued... And first of all, China runs the Panama Canal, and we didn't give it to China, we gave it to Panama, and we're going to take it back."
The Panama Canal is one of the most important trade routes for the US, with about 40% of all container ships in the country passing through it.
Trump's initial threat to the canal last month drew a sharp rebuke from Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino, who said that ownership of the Panama Canal was non-negotiable. "As President, I want to clearly state that every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent area belongs to Panama and will remain so", the head of state was categorical.