Cambodia and Thailand signed [1] an expanded ceasefire agreement on Sunday, concluding a long-running border conflict that President Donald Trump helped broker earlier this year.
The agreement, signed at the annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, marked the end of fighting that had left dozens of people dead and displaced hundreds of thousands.
President Trump, who played a direct role in bringing both sides to the table, used tariff threats to push the two nations toward peace.
Trump witnessed Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul sign the deal, which calls for Thailand to release 18 Cambodian soldiers held in detention and for both countries to begin withdrawing heavy weaponry from contested border areas.
HISTORIC PEACE BETWEEN THAILAND & CAMBODIA.
President Trump and Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim hosted the Prime Ministers of Thailand and Cambodia for the signing of the ‘Kuala Lumpur Peace Accords’—a historic peace declaration. pic.twitter.com/BZRJ2b2KLY [2]
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) October 26, 2025 [3]
“We did something that a lot of people said couldn’t be done,” Trump said during the signing ceremony.
Hun Manet described the day as “historic,” while Anutin said the agreement created “the building blocks for a lasting peace.”
The ceremony was Trump’s first public event after arriving in Kuala Lumpur as part of his multi-nation Asia trip, which includes additional stops in Japan and South Korea.
Upon landing, Trump participated in a local welcoming ceremony, where he was seen waving both American and Malaysian flags and performing his signature dance often featured during campaign rallies.
EPIC! The moment President Trump notices the Malaysian dancers and JOINS IN!
It’s impossible NOT to love this.
pic.twitter.com/Rlbp4EqVCR [4]— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) October 26, 2025 [5]
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim praised the peace accord during his opening remarks at the ASEAN summit, calling it a model for reconciliation through strength.
“It reminds us that reconciliation is not concession, but an act of courage,” Anwar said.
Following the signing, President Trump finalized separate economic agreements with both Cambodia and Thailand to strengthen trade and investment partnerships.
The economic deals, negotiated alongside the peace framework, aim to deepen U.S. engagement in Southeast Asia and stabilize the region’s markets following years of border tension.
In addition, the United States and Malaysia signed new agreements focused on trade and critical mineral supply chains.
The pacts are part of the administration’s broader effort to diversify sourcing and reduce American dependence on Chinese exports, particularly in the production of semiconductors and advanced manufacturing components.
In a joint statement, the U.S. and Malaysia announced an agreement “to strengthen our bilateral economic relationship, which will provide both countries’ exporters unprecedented access to each other’s markets.”
“The Agreement will build upon our longstanding economic relationship, including the United States-Malaysia Trade Investment Framework Agreement signed in 2004,” the statement continued.
The expanded ceasefire between Cambodia and Thailand is expected to be monitored by an international observer team under ASEAN supervision.
Both governments have pledged to begin implementing demilitarization procedures immediately, with troop withdrawals set to start within two weeks.
Trump’s diplomatic involvement, which began earlier in the summer, included direct negotiations with both leaders and multiple rounds of virtual talks.
Administration officials have said the deal reflects the President’s strategy of combining economic pressure with diplomatic engagement to resolve regional conflicts without U.S. troop involvement.
The signing in Kuala Lumpur marks the most significant peace breakthrough between the two Southeast Asian neighbors in more than a decade and reinforces the administration’s stated goal of promoting regional stability through trade partnerships and security cooperation.