US government vessels will now be able to transit the Panama Canal free of charge, the US State Department has announced.
«US government ships can now pass through the Panama Canal without paying fees,» the State Departmentstated in an official post on the social media platform X.
The department noted that this decision will result in annual savings of millions of dollars for the US federal budget.
The political debate over the Panama Canal has intensified following Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election. Late last year, he threatened to bring the canal back under American control, citing its strategic economic and security importance.
As previously reported by Kursiv Uzbekistan, in February, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Panama, where he met with President José Raúl Mulino. During the meeting, Rubio urged Panama to reduce China’s influence in the region immediately.
In response, Mulino stated that Panama will not renew its Memorandum of Understanding with China under the Belt and Road Initiative.
