President Donald Trump will celebrate a peace triumph between Thailand and Cambodia at the Malaysia summit, bringing recognition to what he describes as a “great peace deal” that he brokered. The celebration will take place during the 47th ASEAN summit.
The peace triumph comes after serious border clashes erupted in July 2025 between Thai and Cambodian military forces over disputed territories. The five-day military engagement resulted in fatalities and forced thousands of residents on both sides of the border to flee their homes, highlighting the urgent need for a diplomatic solution to prevent further violence.
Through Malaysian mediation, a ceasefire was successfully negotiated and implemented in late July 2025, effectively halting the fighting. Malaysia has continued to play a central role in maintaining peace by coordinating ASEAN observer missions that monitor the border situation and ensure both nations comply with the terms of the truce.
While traveling aboard Air Force One, President Trump announced via Truth Social that the peace triumph celebration 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 death of Thailand’s Queen Mother and confirmed he would meet with Thailand’s Prime Minister upon landing.
The triumphant peace agreement 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.
