Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum stated that the country will strengthen communication with U.S. officials following comments from President Donald Trump about the possibility of conducting land operations to combat drug trafficking. Sheinbaum emphasized that Mexico and the U.S. can collaborate and coordinate, but will never subordinate themselves to one another. "We can collaborate, we can coordinate, we are neighbors, we want our Mexican brothers to live well on the other side of the border, but as I have said, we coordinate, we collaborate, but we never subordinate ourselves, we are two equal countries," she expressed. She added that while dialogue and negotiations are ongoing, "there is something that is not up for negotiation: the independence and sovereignty of the nation." Last Friday, during her morning press conference, Sheinbaum announced that she would strengthen communication with U.S. officials when asked about Trump's comments the previous Thursday regarding the possibility of carrying out land attacks to combat the drug trade. "We are going to strengthen communication, that is why I asked Juan Ramón de la Fuente to be able to meet with the Secretary of State […] three days ago, Secretary Rubio himself spoke about the good coordination, there is a working group, so we will strengthen the relationship," she noted. Trump's statements, made during a television interview, came in the context of the U.S. military intervention in Venezuela on January 3, which culminated in the capture of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who are facing a judicial process in New York on drug-related charges. On Friday, the President expressed surprise and recalled that U.S. officials have recently recognized bilateral cooperation, such as in the case of Secretary of State Marco Rubio: "Two or three days ago, Secretary Rubio himself spoke about the good security coordination that exists with Mexico, which has been presented on several occasions." Sheinbaum further stressed that both countries have formal mechanisms for joint work and highlighted the seizure of drug laboratories, among other actions, that have been reported to the United States. "We do not want to think of another scenario, rather we want to continue working in that scenario to further strengthen coordination within the framework of defending the sovereignty of both and the territorial integrity of Mexico," she said. On Sunday, Foreign Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente held a telephone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, with the aim of following up on the Border Security and Law Enforcement Cooperation Program, informed the Secretariat of Foreign Relations (SRE). In a statement published on X, the SRE detailed that the call was made "following the instructions of President Claudia Sheinbaum" and was framed "under the principles of strict respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, shared responsibility, mutual trust, and collaboration without subordination." Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of State reported that Secretary Rubio addressed "the need for stronger cooperation to dismantle violent narco-terrorist networks in Mexico and stop the trafficking of fentanyl and weapons." In statements attributed to Tommy Pigott, Principal Deputy Spokesperson, during the call, Rubio reaffirmed that the United States maintains "its commitment to combating narco-terrorism" and emphasized "the need for tangible results" to protect his country and the hemisphere. The newspaper Reforma points to the possibility that a telephone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum could take place this Monday. This comes after the President announced on social media that the morning conference at the National Palace will begin at 9:00 this Monday, instead of the usual 7:30. On Sunday, President Claudia Sheinbaum stated that the United States also needs to work "to reduce drug consumption," approach young people "so that there is not so much drug addiction," and "reduce impunity." The Head of State noted that due to binational cooperation, "the amount of fentanyl crossing from Mexico to the United States has been cut in half." While on Saturday, Sheinbaum affirmed that Mexico's relationship with the United States is governed by dialogue, coordination, and collaboration, but that national independence and sovereignty "are not up for negotiation," by emphasizing that it is a relationship between equal countries and without subordination. She remarked that there are limits to bilateral understanding.
