President Donald Trump will anchor a peace breakthrough between Thailand and Cambodia at the Malaysian conference, calling it a “great peace deal” that he proudly brokered. The anchoring will take place during the 47th ASEAN summit, where regional leaders will witness this significant diplomatic development.
The peace breakthrough comes after violent border clashes erupted in July 2025 between Thai and Cambodian forces along their disputed frontier. The five-day military confrontation resulted in loss of life and displaced thousands of civilians on both sides, underscoring the critical need for international intervention to establish lasting peace and stability.
Through Malaysian mediation, a ceasefire was successfully negotiated and implemented in late July 2025, effectively halting the fighting. Malaysia has continued its peacekeeping efforts by coordinating ASEAN observer missions that monitor the truce and ensure both Thailand and Cambodia adhere to the terms of the ceasefire agreement.
While traveling aboard Air Force One, President Trump announced via Truth Social that the peace breakthrough anchoring would occur immediately upon his arrival in Malaysia. The timing has been adjusted to accommodate the large number of world leaders attending this major diplomatic event, including Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and other ASEAN leaders. Trump also expressed condolences for the recent passing of Thailand’s Queen Mother and stated he would meet with Thailand’s Prime Minister shortly after landing.
The anchored peace breakthrough represents the culmination of months of diplomatic work, including recent progress made during a two-day special meeting of the Cambodia-Thai Joint Commission on Demarcation for the Land Boundary held in Chanthaburi, Thailand, in late October. Both nations reached several key agreements aimed at expediting the land demarcation process along their more than 800-kilometer shared border. Thailand’s Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow has indicated that both countries are nearing completion of a Declaration of Thailand-Cambodia Relations designed to permanently resolve border issues. The territorial dispute has historically focused on ancient Hindu temple sites in the Dangrek Mountains, with previous violence in 2011 near Preah Vihear temple resulting in at least 16 deaths.