Donald Trump pushes for Cambodia-Thailand peace, calls it easier than India-Pakistan deal

Washington: US President Donald Trump pushed for peace between Thailand and Cambodia, who are currently engaged in a border conflict. He said he was hopeful about a ceasefire agreement and even claimed that the talks between the two Southeast Asian nations were easier than resolving tensions between India and Pakistan.

While speaking to reporters after his meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Trump said he believed trade could be used as a powerful tool to stop the fighting. "We do a lot of trade with Thailand and Cambodia, and yet they are fighting each other. I say it should be easy for me because I’ve made deals with India and Pakistan. We’re also working on Serbia and Kosovo," Trump said.

Just hours after Trump spoke to the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia late Saturday night, both countries accused each other of fresh artillery attacks on Sunday. According to Al Jazeera reports, the two sides had earlier shown interest in peace talks, but violence continued despite Trump's announcement that they had agreed to a ceasefire.

Thailand and Cambodia have a long history of border disputes, dating back over 100 years when France first drew the boundary lines during its colonial rule. CNN reported that this decades-old conflict has now escalated into one of the worst fights in recent times, killing over 30 people. Thirteen of the dead are civilians from Thailand, and eight are from Cambodia. More than 200,000 people have been forced to leave their homes near the border.

Trump said he personally spoke to both countries' prime ministers and felt that they were willing to compromise after the conversation. He seemed confident, largely due to his previous claims of helping resolve the India-Pakistan tensions earlier this year.

In May, India and Pakistan came close to another major conflict after a terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22 killed 26 civilians. India responded with "Operation Sindoor," launching precision strikes on terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Trump had publicly taken credit for brokering a ceasefire between the two nations, saying he used trade relations as pressure. However, Indian officials later clarified that the Pakistan Army’s Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) had requested a stop to hostilities.

Trump expressed pride in using trade deals as a means to bring peace. "If I can solve these things, and if I can use trade to do this, it is an honour for me,” he said.