&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "'US is the real UN': Trump jumps in to claim credit for Thailand-Cambodia ceasefire, takes dig at United Nations")
Two days after Thailand and Cambodia announced a ceasefire, US President Donald Trump has jumped on to claim credit for peace between the South Asian nations. In a post on Truth Social, Trump on Sunday (Dec 28), said that both countries will go back to living in peace and will follow the treaty they signed in presence of Trump in Malaysia this year. He said that the US has now settled eight wars in eleven months and it has become the “real United Nations.” He also said that he is working on settling the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and suggested the UN to be “involved in world peace.”
Trump's statement comes weeks after he spoke to leaders of both Thailand and Cambodia on call days after renewed clashes broke out. However, his call did not end hostilities between the two countries. At that time, Thailand said that Cambodia has to first announce truce, and give guaranty that the ceasefire won't be violated and the Royal Thai Army said that it “never mentioned” a ceasefire and that “there is no plan” to stop fighting.
In a Truth Social post, he wrote, “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. 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!”
Amid clashes, the US Embassy in Thailand issued a security alert to American tourists last week. "US citizens should avoid all travel within 50 kilometers [about 31 miles] of the Thailand-Cambodia border, due to active hostilities and the unpredictable security situation,” the alert said. Conditions on both sides remain volatile and it is an unpredictable security situation," it said.
Thailand and Cambodia on Saturday (Dec 27) announced that they have agreed to an “immediate” ceasefire, ending weeks of deadly border clashes. According to official counts, at least 47 people have been killed, while about a million were displaced in recent clashes. Both sides have agreed to freeze the movement of troops and allow civilians living in the border regions to return to their homes as soon as possible. “Both sides agree to an immediate ceasefire after the time of signature of this Joint Statement with effect from 12:00 hours noon (local time) on 27 December 2025, involving all types of weapons, including attacks on civilians, civilian objects and infrastructures, and military objectives of either side, in all cases and all areas,” said the statement signed by the defence ministers of the two countries.
What triggered Nov-Dec clashes?
The fresh clashes were triggered after a Thai soldier was injured by a landmine, allegedly placed near disputed border area by Cambodia, in November. Cambodia denied the claims, but the Thai soldier died later prompting Thailand to launch an air strike. Earlier this year, both sides exchanged fire near the disputed border area and a Cambodian soldier was killed. Intense clashes erupted thereafter that continued for approximately a week. It left 43 people dead and forced around 300,000 to flee. Trump stepped in using trade as a negotiation tactic and a ceasefire was declared. The Southeast Asian nations - Thailand and Cambodia - dispute the colonial-era demarcation of their 800-kilometre (500-mile) border. Both countries also claim the land surrounding the 11th-century Preah Vihear Temple as their own.
