Panama’s President Mulino Invites Ukraine to Join the Canal Neutrality Treaty
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky below left, with his Panamanian counterpart, José Raúl Mulino below right. Zelensky thanked Mulino for Panama’s support for peace and invited him to visit Ukraine.
The President of the Republic, José Raúl Mulino, held a second meeting with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, where they agreed to continue strengthening diplomatic and commercial ties between the two countries, as well as Panama’s support for ending the armed conflict in the Eastern European country. Mulino took advantage of the meeting to invite Zelenskyy to promote Ukraine’s accession to the Panama Canal Neutrality and Operation Treaty. This was after stating that Panama supports the need to achieve a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in Ukraine as soon as possible, in accordance with the principles of the United Nations Charter. He highlighted that Panama voted in favor of a resolution sponsored by the United States in the UN Security Council, which “implores a swift end to the conflict and also calls for a lasting peace between Ukraine and the Russian Federation.” Zelensky thanked Mulino for Panama’s support for peace and invited him to visit Ukraine.
The two discussed the humanitarian crisis facing some populations in Ukraine due to the armed conflict, which has left many children orphaned. During the meeting at the UN General Assembly, Mulino invited the Ukrainian president to participate in the Second Latin American Economic Forum, supported by the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF), to be held in Panama City in January 2026, and also to Expocomer, to be held from March 10 to 12, 2026. Zelensky promised to review his agenda to respond. Mulino also informed Zelensky that Panama welcomed the Ukrainian government’s decision to establish its embassy in Panama on March 3, 2025, leading to the first formal meetings for the opening of this diplomatic mission later this year. Panama and Ukraine have seven agreements in force and another six are under negotiation, covering trade, cooperation against drug trafficking, education, the exchange of tax information, and the exchange of information on migrant workers.
