Leaders from both Greenland and Panama issued messages Wednesday fervently rejecting the comments made by President Donald Trump during his address to Congress in which he again reiterated his ambitions to grab hold of the strategically important areas.

Trump has made clear he intends to “acquire” both Greenland and the Panama Canal, and previously refused to rule out military intervention to achieve his expansionist goals.

In his joint address to Congress, the president said his administration had already taken steps to “take back” the Panama Canal and reiterated his push to acquire Greenland, which is currently a territory of Denmark.

The Marshall Islands cargo ship Cape Hellas (L) and the Portuguese cargo ship MSC Elma sail on Gatun Lake near the Agua Clara Locks of the Panama Canal in Colon City, Panama, on Dec. 28, 2024. (ARNULFO FRANCO/AFP via Getty Images)

“Just today, a large American company announced they are buying both ports around the Panama Canal and lots of other things having to do with the Panama Canal and a couple of other canals,” Trump said.

Trump’s comments were in reference to a $23 billion BlackRock Inc.- TiL Consortium deal made with Hutchison Port Holdings, the Hong Kong conglomerate, announced on Tuesday.

The consortium, made up of BlackRock Inc., Global Infrastructure Partners and Terminal Investment Limited, would acquire “90% interests in Panama Ports Company (the “PPC Transaction”), which owns and operates the ports of Balboa and Cristobal in Panama,” according to a Tuesday press release.

PANAMA’S RESPONSE

But Panama’s president took issue with Trump’s comments saying in part, “Once again, President Trump, is lying.”

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, right, waves after being welcomed by Panama’s Foreign Minister Javier Martinez-Acha, left, upon his arrival at the presidential palace in Panama City, on Sunday, Feb. 2. Panama is Rubio’s first trip abroad as Secretary of State. (AP/Mark Schiefelbein)

“The Panama Canal is not in the process of being restored, and this is certainly not the task that was even discussed in our conversations with [Secretary of State] Rubio or anyone else,” Panama President José Raúl Mulino said in a post on X. “I reject, on behalf of Panama and all Panamanians, this new affront to the truth and to our dignity as a nation. 

“It has nothing to do with the ‘recovery of the Canal’ or with tarnishing our national sovereignty,” he added.  “The Canal is Panamanian and will continue to be Panamanian!”