Thailand and Cambodia declare ceasefire

BANGKOK

Thailand and Cambodia agreed to an "immediate" ceasefire on Dec. 27, the two countries said in a joint statement, pledging to end border clashes that killed dozens of people.

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U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the announcement "as a positive step towards alleviating the suffering of civilians... and creating an environment conducive to achieving lasting peace," spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

At least 47 people were killed and more than 1 million displaced in three weeks of fighting with artillery, tanks, drones and jets, according to official tallies.

The conflict spread to nearly every border province on both sides, shattering an earlier truce for which U.S. President Donald Trump took credit.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday welcomed the ceasefire, calling on both sides to "immediately honor this commitment."

The ceasefire took effect at 12 p.m. local time, said the declaration signed by the Southeast Asian neighbors’ defense ministers at a border checkpoint on the Thai side.

The truce applies to "all types of weapons, including attacks on civilians, civilian objects and infrastructures, and military objectives of either side, in all cases and all areas."

Both sides agreed to freeze all troop movements and allow civilians living in border areas to return home as soon as possible, the statement said.

They also agreed to cooperate on demining efforts and combatting cybercrime, while Thailand was to return 18 captured Cambodian soldiers within 72 hours.

Thai Defense Minister Nattaphon Narkphanit said the initial three-day window would be an "observation period to confirm that the ceasefire is real."

Trump declares end to Cambodia-Thailand fighting, criticizes UN role

28/12/2025, Sunday

US President Donald Trump has announced that fighting between Cambodia and Thailand will cease, allowing both nations to return to peace following a newly implemented ceasefire. In a statement on social media, he congratulated the countries' leaders and launched a sharp critique of the United Nations, suggesting the US has become the "real United Nations" due to its mediation efforts. The ceasefire ends nearly three weeks of deadly border clashes that caused significant casualties and displacement.

US President Donald Trump has publicly declared an end to the recent border clashes between Cambodia and Thailand, framing the new ceasefire as a successful outcome and using the moment to criticize the United Nations. In a post on his Truth Social platform on Sunday, Trump stated the fighting "will stop momentarily, and they will go back to living in peace, as per our recently agreed to original treaty."

Praise for Leaders and Swift Resolution

Trump extended congratulations to the leaders of both Southeast Asian nations for their "brilliance in coming to this rapid and very fair conclusion." He characterized the diplomatic process as "fast & decisive, as all of these situations should be!" The ceasefire agreement, signed on Saturday, brings to a close nearly 20 days of intense fighting along the disputed border that reportedly resulted in around 99 fatalities and displaced close to a million civilians from border communities.

A Broader Critique of International Institutions

The US president then pivoted to a broader critique of global governance, explicitly targeting the United Nations. "With all of the wars and conflicts I have settled and stopped ... perhaps the United States has become the real United Nations, which has been of very little assistance or help in any of them," Trump asserted. He called for the UN to "start getting active and involved in world peace," contrasting its perceived inaction with American diplomatic engagement under his administration.

Context of the Conflict and Ceasefire

The recent hostilities, which resumed on December 8 after a border skirmish, have taken a heavy toll. Thai authorities reported 26 soldiers and one civilian killed, with 41 other civilian deaths attributed to collateral effects. Cambodia's Interior Ministry cited 31 civilian fatalities. The newly implemented truce reinforces an earlier ceasefire brokered in July by the US, China, and Malaysia, which was later formalized in a Kuala Lumpur meeting in October. Trump's statement highlights the ongoing role Washington sees for itself in mediating regional disputes, even as it questions the effectiveness of established multilateral bodies.

Trump calls US the "real United Nations" amid Cambodia-Thailand ceasefire

Story by Peter Aitken • 

Newsweek
28.12.2025 

President Donald Trump on Sunday touted the peacekeeping role the United States has played in the world since his return to office, calling it the “real United Nations” and pointed to the renewed deal between Thailand and Cambodia as proof of his administration’s accomplishments.

“I am pleased to announce that the breakout fighting between Thailand and Cambodia will stop momentarily, and they will go back to living in PEACE, as per our recently agreed to original Treaty,” the president wrote on Truth Social.

Newsweek reached out to the White House by email on Sunday morning outside of normal business hours for comment.

Why It Matters

The neighboring Southeast Asian nations have spent decades fighting over a 500-mile stretch of disputed border, which was demarcated by the French during their rule of Cambodia. Thailand has therefore argued the border is inaccurate.

Five days of fighting in July ended with intervention from Malaysia and the U.S., resulting in a peace deal that Thailand and Cambodia signed in October. However, the deal collapsed just six weeks later following an extensive propaganda campaign from both sides.

Trump once again said he would end the fighting, and after a series of talks, culminating in three days of lower-level talks between military officials last week, a new deal was struck between the two countries.




President Donald Trump participates in NORAD Santa tracker phone calls on Christmas Eve from the Mar-a-lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, on December 24. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images)

What To Know

The new ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia stipulates that the two countries must observe a 72-hour period of peace before other provisions come into effect, including the repatriation of 18 Cambodian soldiers, “joint humanitarian demining operations,” and eliminating propaganda and disinformation.

However, Trump has already started celebrating the deal, marking it as another conflict he ended since returning to office, although it’s unclear if he’s counting it as a separate conflict from the first one he claimed to end earlier this year.

“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! The United States of America, as always, was proud to help!” Trump wrote.

He continued: “With all of the wars and conflicts I have settled and stopped over the last eleven months, EIGHT, 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 United Nations must start getting active and involved in WORLD PEACE!”

The president has helped push through several ceasefires and peace deals across the past 11 months, even though some of the parties involved dispute the degree to which the U.S. was actually involved in negotiations.

The Trump administration also helped broker deals between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Israel and Iran, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as Israel and Hamas in their two-year war.

Trump has claimed credit for helping broker a deal between India and Pakistan, however Indian leaders have disputed any involvement from the U.S. in the ceasefire mediations.

Trump will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday in Miami as he seeks to push a deal between Russia and Ukraine over the finish line in their near four-year war, with Zelensky indicating the new deal could see a vote in Ukraine after finding “new ideas” on how to reach a deal with U.S. negotiators.


What People Are Saying

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement on Saturday: “The United States welcomes the announcement from Cambodia and Thailand on reaching a ceasefire following the General Border Committee meeting. We urge both countries to immediately honor this commitment and fully implement the terms of the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accords.”

Cambodia’s Defense Minister Tea Seiha to reporters after the signing: “Today’s ceasefire also paves the way for the displaced people who are living in the border areas to be able to return to their homes, work in the fields, and even allow their children to be able to return to schools and resume their studies.”

Thailand’s Defense Ministry spokesperson Surasant Kongsiri in a news briefing: “If the ceasefire does not materialize, this would indicate a lack of sincerity on the Cambodian side to create sure peace. Therefore, the 72- hour ceasefire beginning today is not an act of trust nor unconditional acceptance but a time frame to tangibly prove whether Cambodia can truly cease the use of weapons, provocations and threats in the area.”


Update 12/28/25, 11:15 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.

Update 12/28/25, 11:45 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.