U.S. President Donald Trump said that Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to renew a ceasefire after several days of deadly clashes along their disputed border, following his separate calls with the two countries' prime ministers. The renewed truce aims to restore an earlier peace accord brokered this year with U.S. and Malaysian involvement.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Friday, December 12, 2025, that Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet had agreed to halt all shooting along their countries' border.
Trump made the announcement in a post on his Truth Social platform after speaking separately with both leaders, according to reporting by the Associated Press and other outlets. In the post, he wrote: "They have agreed to CEASE all shooting effective this evening, and go back to the original Peace Accord made with me, and them, with the help of the Great Prime Minister of Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim." He also said, "It is my Honor to work with Anutin and Hun in resolving what could have evolved into a major War between two otherwise wonderful and prosperous Countries!"
News agencies including the AP report that the original ceasefire was reached in July 2025 and was brokered by Malaysia, with Trump pressuring both governments by threatening to withhold trade privileges if they did not agree. The terms were fleshed out in more detail at a regional summit in Malaysia in October, which Trump attended, where the peace accord was formalized.
Despite that agreement, propaganda battles and lower‑level cross‑border incidents continued through the year. The latest round of violence in early December involved heavy exchanges of fire that raised fears the conflict could spiral further and undermine the Kuala Lumpur‑based peace framework.
The border dispute is rooted in long‑standing territorial disagreements, including over areas near the Preah Vihear temple. These tensions have been fueled by a 1907 map drawn during French colonial rule, which Thailand has long argued is flawed, and by a 1962 International Court of Justice ruling that granted sovereignty over the temple itself to Cambodia, a decision that remains controversial among many Thais.
According to AP and public broadcaster ThaiPBS, the recent fighting has seen Thailand deploy jet fighters to carry out airstrikes on what it says are Cambodian military targets. Cambodia has used BM‑21 multiple rocket launchers, which have an effective range of about 30 to 40 kilometers (19 to 25 miles). Data collected by ThaiPBS indicate that at least six Thai soldiers killed in the clashes were hit by rocket shrapnel.
The Thai army’s northeastern regional command has reported that BM‑21 rocket fire from Cambodian forces damaged homes and other residential areas near the border on the Thai side. The army also said it destroyed a tall crane on a hill held by Cambodian forces near the centuries‑old Preah Vihear temple, alleging that it was fitted with electronic and optical equipment used for military command and control.
Local authorities on both sides of the frontier have reported damage to border communities and the displacement of civilians as the clashes intensified. Residents have been moved to temporary shelters, including religious sites, while officials awaited word on whether the renewed ceasefire would hold.
The latest agreement is intended to de‑escalate the immediate crisis and restore the ceasefire framework established earlier in the year. But analysts quoted in several reports note that the durability of the truce remains uncertain, given the history of mutual distrust, political pressures in Bangkok and Phnom Penh, and repeated violations of previous agreements.
