President Donald Trump has once again flexed America’s diplomatic muscle, this time brokering a ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia after a week of deadly fighting near their shared border. The two nations agreed to an immediate ceasefire effective midnight Monday — just days after Trump directly intervened and warned both countries that any ongoing violence would jeopardize lucrative trade deals with the United States.
The ceasefire was announced following emergency peace talks in Putrajaya, Malaysia, where Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thailand’s acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai met face-to-face and shook hands in a sign of de-escalation. The talks were coordinated by Malaysian and American officials, with Chinese diplomats also present.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim confirmed the breakthrough: “Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to an immediate and unconditional ceasefire with effect from midnight tonight. This is final.”
Trump hailed the outcome while speaking to reporters from Scotland on Monday. “That was going to be a very bad war, and so we’re honored we got involved,” he said. “It’s essentially settled. That could’ve gone on for years. Millions of people could’ve been killed. We ended the war — and we’re very happy about it.”
.@POTUS on the ceasefire between Cambodia and Thailand: “It’s peace. That was going to be a very bad war … That could’ve gone on for years. Millions of people could’ve been killed. We ended the war — and we’re very happy about it.” pic.twitter.com/KuIqjoBRsb
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 28, 2025
The Trump administration’s swift diplomatic intervention helped halt the bloodiest conflict between the two Southeast Asian nations in over a decade. The violence erupted Thursday near a disputed temple site along the 508-mile border, resulting in at least 36 deaths and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of civilians. Exchanges of artillery and airstrikes rapidly escalated tensions, prompting alarm from both Washington and Beijing.
Trump’s strategy was clear and effective: threaten the loss of U.S. trade benefits unless the conflict ended immediately. On Saturday, the president posted on Truth Social, saying, “I am calling the Acting Prime Minister of Thailand, right now, to likewise request a Ceasefire… I have told them: no deals while they’re fighting.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio backed the president’s efforts, stating Sunday that he had been in direct communication with both leaders and that the U.S. was “monitoring the situation very closely.”
Thailand, a key military ally and economic partner of the United States, exported over $63 billion in goods to the U.S. in 2024, including electronics and nuclear equipment. With Trump’s August 1 global tariff hike looming, Thailand and Cambodia had added incentive to come to the table.
Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet acknowledged the urgency: “We hope to stop immediately the fighting that has caused many lives lost, injuries, and also caused displacement of people.”
Thailand’s acting PM Wechayachai, who had previously been skeptical about a ceasefire’s durability, confirmed his country’s commitment to honoring the deal “in good faith.”
The border flare-up had also caught the attention of Communist China, which has close ties to Cambodia and major trade interests with both nations. China funds a naval base in Cambodia and has long positioned itself as a regional powerbroker. Yet in this case, it was the Trump administration that delivered.
As with prior Trump-led breakthroughs — from Middle East accords to North Korea diplomacy — this ceasefire signals a return to American-led peace enforcement, with President Trump wielding economic leverage in place of endless bureaucracy or multilateral dithering.
With another global crisis averted, the Trump administration now turns its attention back to trade negotiations. And as President Trump made clear — countries looking for access to the U.S. market need to choose peace.
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