Germany Calls Trump’s Vow to Take Panama Canal “Unacceptable,” Dismisses Concerns About China

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock addresses a joint press conference with the Lithuanian Foreign Minister in Berlin on January 20, 2025. John MACDOUGALL / AFP

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Tuesday criticized Donald Trump’s “unacceptable” pledge to seize the Panama Canal, which the returning U.S. president repeated in his inaugural address.

Baerbock was asked in an interview about Trump’s comments Monday on the waterway and on his desire to control Greenland, an autonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark.

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