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By Peter Aitken
Politics Weekend Editor
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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.
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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.
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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.
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