Senator: Trump's statements on Panama, Canada, Greenland and Ukraine could push US allies towards Russian Federation and China

Outgoing Chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ben Cardin said in an interview with the ABC television channel that President-elect Donald Trump's threats to seize the Panama Canal could push United States allies towards Russia and China.

The senator said Trump's recent statements about seizing the Panama Canal, buying Greenland and making Canada the 51st state of the United States were affecting ‘America's credibility around the world.’

‘Our allies don't know whether or not we are credible partners,’ said Cardin, who is leaving the Senate at the end of this term.

The politician recalled that the U.S.-Panama commitment was established by the 1977 Panama Canal Treaty and Neutrality and ratified by Congress.

‘I don't know what the president-elect says about how sincere he is, but I can tell you that it does raise questions around the world about whether we are a reliable partner. And it does increase other countries‘ interest in Russia and China in terms of whether or not they need to make alliances with Russia and China, whether or not America will support them around the world,’ the senator said.

Trump's talk of buying Greenland from the Danish government and jokes about making Canada the 51st state of the United States, along with mocking the country's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Cardin described as useless talk.

‘Around the world, we have seen statements of the same type made during his previous administration when he threatened to withdraw from NATO. These are treaty obligations that our allies rely on, and that raises serious concerns about whether America will stand by them,’ he said.

Asked about the future of Ukraine under a second Trump administration, Cardin said that while there is still bipartisan support in the U.S. Congress, Trump's remarks on Ukraine are ‘very troubling.’

Reprinted from https://news.am/