Government documents obtained by the AFP media group reportedly state that US troops will be permitted to deploy to a series of military bases along the Panama Canal under a newly signed bilateral agreement.
This would mark a significant win for President Donald Trump in his efforts to restore American dominance over the strategic transport route.
According to their report, the agreement has been signed by senior security officials from both nations and grants US military personnel to operate at Panama-controlled facilities for joint training, exercises, and other cooperative missions.
While the deal does not allow Washington to establish permanent US military bases on Panamanian soil, it does provide the US with substantial flexibility to station an unspecified number of troops at key facilities, some of which were set up back when the US governed the canal zone until 1979.
US President Trump has frequently accused China of gaining excessive influence over the canal. The artificially engineered route forms a crucial corridor for global trade as it accounts for roughly 40% of US container traffic and about 5% of total global commerce.
Since returning to the White House in January 2025, his administration has pledged to “reclaim” strategic sway over the canal, arguing that it was the US that originally financed, constructed, and managed the waterway until handing control over to Panama.
By Nazrin Sadigova
Source: caliber.az
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