Amid escalating tensions along the Cambodia-Thailand border, US President Donald Trump has stepped into the fray, using ongoing trade negotiations as leverage to push both countries toward an immediate ceasefire. In a series of posts on Truth Social, Trump revealed that he had spoken with leaders from both nations and was actively mediating to halt the conflict, which he compared to the India-Pakistan tensions earlier this year.
The border dispute—rooted in colonial-era demarcations by France—has led to renewed fighting that entered its fourth day on Saturday, leaving over a dozen dead, hundreds injured, and displacing more than 150,000 civilians, according to reports.
Trump claimed he had a “very good call” with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and later with Thailand’s Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, urging both sides to cease hostilities. He emphasized that the US would not move forward with trade deals with either nation unless fighting ceased.
“We happen to be, by coincidence, currently dealing on Trade with both Countries, but do not want to make any Deal… if they are fighting — and I have told them so!” Trump posted.
Drawing a striking analogy, he stated, “This very much reminds me of the conflict between Pakistan and India, which was brought to a successful halt,” referring to the May standoff in Kashmir. He previously claimed credit for brokering peace between the two South Asian nuclear powers, though Indian officials had attributed the ceasefire to back-channel talks initiated by Pakistan’s military.
After speaking with both Southeast Asian leaders, Trump expressed optimism, saying both nations appeared eager to resume peace efforts and re-engage in trade talks once the violence subsided.
“Ceasefire, Peace, and Prosperity seems to be a natural [outcome]. We will soon see!” Trump wrote, adding that he found it “an honor” to engage with the leadership of two countries that share a “long and storied history and culture.”
The CNN report highlighted the geopolitical backdrop of the conflict, with Thailand, a long-standing US ally, now facing a Cambodia whose younger military leadership has been building closer ties with China — a dynamic that adds complexity to Trump’s mediation efforts.
Trump concluded his series of statements by expressing hope that Cambodia and Thailand would quickly formalize a ceasefire and resume peaceful engagement, both diplomatically and economically, with the United States.
