Trump Withholds Trade Deals Amid Cambodia-Thailand Border Conflict

President Donald Trump has engaged directly with the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia amid their ongoing border conflict, urging an immediate ceasefire and threatening to withhold trade deals until hostilities end. He held calls with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thailand's Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, emphasizing that the United States is currently negotiating trade agreements with both countries but will not finalize any deals while fighting persists. Trump drew parallels between this conflict and the recent India-Pakistan dispute, which he credited U.S. trade pressure with helping to resolve. The border fighting, which has caused dozens of deaths and displaced over 150,000 civilians, has escalated after decades-old territorial tensions dating back to colonial-era demarcations. Trump’s approach leverages economic incentives as leverage for peace, warning of tariff increases if the ceasefire is not achieved promptly. Both Thailand and Cambodia have expressed interest in peace talks, with Trump relaying their willingness to reach a ceasefire and restore stability.