Washington:
US President Donald Trump claimed on Friday that he successfully preserved a ceasefire agreement between Cambodia and Thailand, which was on the verge of collapse, through American mediation.
Speaking to reporters aboard ‘Air Force One’ while flying to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida for the weekend, Trump stated, “I stopped a war today.”
He asserted that his actions were made possible by his willingness to impose heavy tariffs on countries worldwide. Trump argues that his strategy of levying tariffs provides the US with significant advantages in trade and diplomacy.
The President mentioned that he had spoken with the Prime Ministers of Cambodia and Thailand by phone, who are now “doing very well.” The two Southeast Asian neighbors had previously engaged in a five-day armed conflict at the end of July over a regional border dispute, resulting in the deaths of several soldiers and civilians.
Trump had reportedly threatened to revoke trade privileges if the two countries did not halt their hostilities, a move that helped temporarily pause the conflict.
However, the ceasefire was pushed to the brink of collapse this week when Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet stated that a villager had been killed in gunfire on his country’s border with Thailand.
