President Donald Trump will underwrite a peace initiative between Thailand and Cambodia at the Malaysia conference, calling it a “great peace deal” that he proudly brokered. The underwriting will take place during the 47th ASEAN summit, where regional leaders will witness this diplomatic milestone.
The peace initiative comes after violent border clashes erupted in July 2025 between Thai and Cambodian forces along their disputed frontier. The five-day confrontation resulted in loss of life and displaced thousands of civilians living near the border, demonstrating the critical need for international intervention to restore peace and stability.
Malaysia played a key mediating role and successfully negotiated a ceasefire between the two nations, which was implemented in late July 2025. Since the truce took effect, the Malaysian government has coordinated ASEAN observer teams that remain deployed along the border to monitor compliance and prevent any resumption of hostilities between the two Southeast Asian nations.
While aboard Air Force One, President Trump announced via Truth Social that the peace initiative underwriting would occur immediately upon his arrival in Malaysia. The timing has been adjusted to accommodate the numerous world leaders attending this historic 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 underwritten peace initiative represents the culmination of intensive 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 serious violence in 2011 near Preah Vihear temple resulting in at least 16 deaths and UN Security Council involvement.