US President Donald Trump on Saturday claimed that he had successfully intervened in the Thailand-Cambodia conflict, and that it reminded him of the 88-hour India-Pakistan conflict in May.
Cross-border shelling between Thailand and Cambodia have escalated as the conflict drags on for a third day, with more than 30 people killed and more than 10,000 displaced. Both sides claim to be acting in self-defence, with neither side backing down from the conflict.
"They have agreed to immediately meet and quickly work out a Ceasefire and, ultimately, PEACE!" Trump claimed, in a Truth Social post following calls to the prime ministers of both nations.
Cambodia on Friday accepted a ceasefire proposal backed by Malaysia—which is the current chair of the ASEAN (which includes both Thailand and Cambodia). However, Bangkok rejected it in favour of bilateral ceasefire talks, according to Thai foreign ministry spokesperson Nikorndej Balankura, as per a Reuters report.
"I don't think we need any mediation from a third country yet," he stated.
Despite that, Washington's attempts at bringing about a ceasefire between the two South-east Asian nations utilises a similar tool he claimed to have used to resolve the India-Pakistan conflict: trade deals.
"Both Parties are looking for an immediate Ceasefire and Peace. They are also looking to get back to the 'Trading Table' with the United States, which we think is inappropriate to do until such time as the fighting STOPS ... I look forward to concluding our Trading Agreements with both!" Trump said about the Thai-Cambodia conflict.
Thailand and Cambodia have been fighting over ownership of an 11th-century Shiva temple: the Prasat Preah Vihear. Over the years, such ownership disputes have led to multiple armed clashes, resulting in civilian and military casualties on both sides.
Is Trump's stance on the India-Pakistan conflict wavering?
Trump has repeatedly stated in the past that the India-Pakistan hostilities following Operation Sindoor were brought to a halt after his mediation using trade deals with the two nations as leverage.
Although Pakistani foreign minister Ishaq Dar on Saturday declared that he "appreciated the pivotal role" of the US in mediating the hostilities, India has continued to maintain that the resolution was entirely bilateral.
Owing to India's insistence on the resolution being bilateral, the US State Department's response to Dar's statement did not mention India.
More recently, in Trump's comparison of the Thai-Cambodian conflict to that of New Delhi and Islamabad, he simply mentions that it was "brought to a successful halt", without reiterating his claim of US intervention.
