PANAMA CITY - Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino said Thursday that the Panama Canal "is and will always be Panamanian," following US President Donald Trump's claims of wanting to retake possession of the waterway.

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In a post on social networks, the Panamanian president shared images capturing five key moments in the waterway's history, accompanied by the message: "Truth is reality. The canal is and will always be Panamanian," written in both Spanish and English.

The first image highlights the 1964 Panama Riots, when 21 Panamanians died at the hands of the US army, which led to the severance of bilateral ties until Washington agreed to renegotiate the terms around the canal.

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The second image recalls 1977, when Panamanian leader Omar Torrijos and then-US President Jimmy Carter signed a treaty that established the canal's handover to Panama on Dec 31, 1999.

The last two images pay tribute to 2007, when the canal's Panamanian administration launched the waterway's expansion with a third set of locks, and 2025, which marks the 25th anniversary of the canal's return to Panama.