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Thai & Cambodian PMs sign enhanced ceasefire deal in KL while Trump looks on
Negotiations reportedly accelerated after worries earlier in the week that an agreement would not be reached.
October 26, 2025, 02:06 PM
Cambodia and Thailand’s prime ministers, Hun Manet and Anutin Charnvirakul, respectively, have signed an enhanced ceasefire deal on Oct. 26 as United States President Donald Trump looked on.
Presidential witness
Trump arrived on the morning of Oct. 26 on Air Force One, where he was escorted into Malaysian airspace by a U.S.-built Royal Malaysian Air Force F-18 fighter jet.
Image via X
Trump was met on the tarmac by Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim, as well as several other ministers, and a welcoming committee that included a bank of dancers, to the president’s and PM’s shared delight.
The signing ceremony takes place amidst the 47th Asean Summit in Kuala Lumpur, and follows on from U.S. efforts to end a brief border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia in July.
Something to witness
As late as last week, there had been concerns over whether the two Asean countries would be able to come to an agreement in time for the Asean summit.
On Oct. 21, senior Thai and Cambodian officials were due to meet in Geneva, Switzerland, to further discuss an enhanced ceasefire deal, but the meeting was called off barely an hour before it was to take place, according to Thai publication The Nation.
But as the week progressed, it was reported by Reuters and The Bangkok Times that the two sides were making progress towards a deal, with the Times saying that the “two sides aim to sign something that Trump can witness”.
Sunday’s ceremony shows that the pair were able to come to an agreement, although tensions between the two sides remain.
Trump has branded himself on multiple occasions as the "peace president", attempting to burnish his diplomatic credentials by claiming credits for peace deals involving conflicts across the world, most notably the Israel-Gaza War.
World leaders have shown themselves amenable to this, and the U.S.'s participation, with Anwar crediting Trump as being in close contact with both Thai and Cambodian leaders, when the initial ceasefire deal was signed in July.
Top image via AFP
