President Donald Trump said Sunday that the United Nations must become more involved in establishing global peace, following U.S.-led efforts to halt renewed violence between Thailand and Cambodia. Trump posted on Truth Social, praising the ceasefire and criticizing the UN’s limited role in global conflict resolution.
The border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia have reignited an over-century-old territorial dispute. According to the Associated Press, the nations have been in conflict over land demarcated in 1907 when Cambodia was under French rule. Cambodia insists the original lines are valid, while Thailand continues to dispute the claims. Cambodia gained independence from France in 1953, but the disagreement over the boundary has lingered.
On Sunday, Trump announced a momentary end to the fighting. “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,” he said.
Trump credited the U.S. for facilitating the ceasefire and criticized the UN for its limited impact. “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,” he wrote.
Earlier peace talks were backed by the United States and Malaysia. In July, Malaysia brokered a temporary ceasefire with pressure from President Trump, who reportedly threatened to revoke trade privileges unless an agreement was reached. That ceasefire was expanded into the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accords, signed on October 26 and witnessed by Trump, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
Fighting resumed weeks later, prompting U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to call for restraint. “We strongly urge the immediate cessation of hostilities,” Rubio said in a statement, urging both parties to adhere to the peace agreement signed in October.
Despite the resumed violence, Trump’s diplomatic efforts received international praise. United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres previously recognized Trump’s global peace achievements in a September speech. Additionally, the Cambodian government nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize in August.
Calls have grown for the United Nations to engage more directly in global peacemaking. Trump’s comments renew criticism of the UN’s bureaucratic inaction in conflicts like Russia-Ukraine, while reaffirming U.S. leadership in resolving international disputes.
