Trump Congratulates Thai and Cambodian Leaders on Ceasefire After Deadly Border Clashes

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - US President Donald Trump on Sunday congratulated the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia on reaching a ceasefire agreement aimed at ending weeks of deadly border clashes that left dozens dead and displaced more than a million people.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump praised both sides for what he described as a rapid resolution. “I want to congratulate both great leaders on their brilliance in coming to this rapid and very fair conclusion. It was FAST & DECISIVE, as all of these situations should be!” he wrote, adding that Washington was “proud to help.”

The remarks came ahead of Trump’s scheduled talks later Sunday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. In the same post, Trump again highlighted what he described as his role in ending international conflicts, saying, “Perhaps the United States has become the REAL United Nations, which has been of very little assistance or help in any of them, including the disaster currently going on between Russia and Ukraine.”

The ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia was agreed on Saturday and took effect at 12:00 pm local time, according to a joint declaration signed by the two countries’ defense ministers at a border checkpoint on the Thai side.

Thailand and Cambodia declared an “immediate” ceasefire after nearly three weeks of intense fighting along their shared border, which saw the use of artillery, tanks, drones, and fighter jets. Official tallies said at least 47 people were killed and more than one million displaced as the conflict spread to nearly every border province on both sides.

The truce applies to all types of weapons and explicitly covers attacks on civilians, civilian infrastructure, and military targets in all areas. Both countries agreed to freeze troop movements and allow displaced civilians to return to their homes as soon as possible.

The agreement also includes cooperation on demining efforts and combating cybercrime. Thailand committed to returning eighteen captured Cambodian soldiers within seventy-two hours.

Thai Defense Minister Nattaphon Narkphanit described the initial three-day period following the agreement as an observation phase to verify that the ceasefire is being respected. In a speech earlier Saturday, he called the truce “a door to a peaceful resolution.”

International reaction to the ceasefire was swift. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the agreement as “a positive step towards alleviating the suffering of civilians and creating an environment conducive to achieving lasting peace.” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged both sides to immediately honor their commitments, while the European Union thanked ASEAN for its role and offered support for implementation.

China also welcomed the ceasefire, saying it demonstrated that dialogue and consultation are effective ways to resolve complex disputes. Beijing said its top diplomat, Wang Yi, would host Cambodian and Thai foreign ministers for talks in Yunnan province on Dec. 28–29.

The fighting stems from a long-running territorial dispute over sections of the eight-hundred-kilometer Thai-Cambodian border, where both countries claim ancient temples due to a vague colonial-era demarcation made in 1907.

An earlier ceasefire brokered in July with the involvement of the United States, China, and ASEAN had collapsed within months, with both sides blaming each other for renewed violence. Despite the latest agreement, border demarcation issues remain unresolved, leaving questions about the durability of the truce.