Thailand and Cambodia Agree to Unconditional Ceasefire Starting Midnight July 28, 2025

Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to an immediate and unconditional ceasefire starting at midnight on Monday, July 28, 2025, following high-stakes mediation talks in Malaysia, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced late Sunday.

“Both Cambodia and Thailand reached a common understanding as follows: One, an immediate and unconditional ceasefire with effect from 24 hours local time, midnight on 28th July 2025, tonight,” said Anwar, who hosted the talks at his official residence in Putrajaya.

The urgent negotiations were attended by the prime ministers of Thailand and Cambodia, alongside the ambassadors of the United States and China. Anwar chaired the meeting in his role as ASEAN chair.

The ceasefire comes after five days of escalating border violence, the worst in over a decade, as both nations accused each other of initiating last week’s clashes and intensifying them with heavy artillery along the 817-kilometre shared border.

International Mediation Led by Malaysia, U.S., and China

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said the meeting was co-organized by Malaysia and the United States, with China also participating. He revealed that the ceasefire initiative was proposed by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who warned both nations he would not finalize trade deals unless the violence stopped.

Trump later stated that both sides “wanted to settle their differences” after his intervention.

Mutual Distrust Remains

Tensions were high ahead of the talks. Thailand’s acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai expressed doubts about Cambodia’s sincerity, accusing it of violating international law and lacking genuine intent to de-escalate.

“We are not confident in Cambodia; their actions so far have reflected insincerity in solving the problem,” he told reporters. “But everybody wants to see peace. Nobody wants to see violence that affects civilians.”

Cambodia has denied targeting civilians, instead accusing Thailand of putting innocent lives at risk. It has called for the international community to condemn what it termed Thai aggression.

Background of Escalation

The conflict flared after the killing of a Cambodian soldier in a late-May skirmish. The incident sparked a series of military confrontations, with both sides reinforcing their border positions. The crisis also brought Thailand’s already fragile coalition government under intense pressure.

As of now, while the ceasefire marks a breakthrough, questions remain over implementation, monitoring, and long-term resolution of the underlying border dispute.