The escalating military conflict between Thailand and Cambodia, two Southeast Asian nations, was brought to a halt following a series of diplomatic efforts.
The most significant of these was a call from President Donald Trump to Thailand's leader, which led to Bangkok agreeing to ceasefire negotiations with Cambodia. The talks, hosted in Malaysia, marked the end of the most intense fighting between the two countries in over a decade.
This account of the diplomatic maneuvering that led to the ceasefire is based on interviews with four individuals on both sides of the border, conducted by Reuters.
According to Reuters, the Thai government had initially declined mediation offers from Malaysia and China. It was only after President Trump's call to Thai Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai that Bangkok agreed to engage in talks.
"We told him that we want bilateral talks first before declaring a ceasefire," a Thai government source revealed, highlighting the sensitivity of the issue. Thailand had previously expressed a preference for bilateral negotiation, rather than third-party mediation, to resolve the conflict.
Following Trump's call, the Thai and Cambodian foreign ministries began discussions. Bangkok laid out its terms: the meeting must involve the two prime ministers and take place at a neutral location. "We proposed Malaysia because we want this to be a regional matter," the source explained. A second Thai source added, "The U.S. really pushed for the meeting. We want a peaceful solution to the conflict so we had to show good faith and accept."
Cambodia had already accepted Malaysia's initial offer for talks. However, it was Thailand that remained unresponsive until Trump's intervention, according to Lim Menghour, a Cambodian government official working on foreign policy. Cambodia also maintained open communication with China, which had expressed interest in participating in any peace talks between the two nations.
The ceasefire negotiations took place in the Malaysian administrative capital of Putrajaya, hosted by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who is also the current chair of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations regional bloc. Following the talks, a joint statement was issued, announcing that Thailand and Cambodia would enter into a ceasefire from midnight and continue dialogue.
This diplomatic effort mirrors the attempts to diffuse severe border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia in 2011. However, unlike the previous talks, these negotiations directly involved the U.S. and China. Despite the fragile ceasefire and lingering distrust on both sides, neither military has reduced troop deployment along the border.
The border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia has been a long-standing issue, with tensions escalating in recent months following the death of a Cambodian soldier in a skirmish in May. The situation further deteriorated when a Thai soldier lost a limb to a landmine, which Thailand claimed was planted by Cambodian troops. This led to a full-blown diplomatic crisis, with Bangkok recalling its ambassador to Phnom Penh and expelling Cambodia's envoy.
Following the ceasefire agreement, both Hun Manet and Phumtham have praised President Trump, who had threatened to impose 36% tariffs on goods from both countries entering the U.S., their largest export market. The Thai sources did not comment on whether the border clashes had impacted tariff negotiations. However, Lim Menghour noted that after the "positive talks, President Donald Trump also showed positive developments" regarding tariffs.
In the wake of the ceasefire agreement, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick announced on Wednesday that Washington has made trade deals with Cambodia and Thailand, although these have yet to be announced. This development suggests that the diplomatic efforts to resolve the border conflict have had a positive impact on the economic relations between these countries and the U.S.
Login