Munilo told reporters that the David and Goliath fight that Trump has pushed is a non-starter. Panama fought for years to get access to the canal, he said. The territory is neutral, he added, and has remained so through international conflicts well before Trump’s presidency.

Panama President José Raúl Mulino rejected negotiations over ownership of the Panama Canal, in the face of President Trump’s fixation on the U.S. retaking the trade waterway. Mulino’s remarks come ahead of a visit this weekend by Secretary of State Marco Rubio,

It’s impossible, I can’t negotiate,” Mulino said when asked about returning the canal to U.S. control. “That is done. The canal belongs to Panama.”