US President Donald Trump on Sunday expressed confidence that he could “quickly resolve” the ongoing Pakistan-Afghanistan conflict, lauding Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir as “great people.”

Trump made the remarks while speaking at the signing ceremony of a Thailand–Cambodia peace accord, held on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur.

Border crossings between Pakistan and Afghanistan have remained closed since October 11, following deadly clashes earlier this month the most intense since the Taliban’s 2021 takeover of Kabul which left dozens dead on both sides.

The skirmishes erupted after Islamabad urged Kabul to rein in militants launching cross-border attacks into Pakistan from Afghan territory.

A ceasefire brokered in Qatar and Turkiye last weekend has so far held, and during a follow-up round of talks in Istanbul, Pakistan reportedly handed over a comprehensive counterterrorism plan to the Afghan Taliban, according to diplomatic sources.

Addressing the recent escalation, Trump said he was “very confident” that he could help both nations achieve lasting peace.

“We’re averaging one [peace deal] a month. There’s only one left, although I’ve heard Pakistan and Afghanistan have started up again. But I’ll get that solved very quickly.

I know them both the Field Marshal and the Prime Minister are great people and I have no doubt we’ll get that done fast,” he said.

The US president emphasized that peacebuilding remained a cornerstone of his foreign policy.

“If I can take time and save millions of lives, that’s really a great thing,” he said, adding, “Unlike other presidents, I focus on ending wars, not starting them. I can’t think of any president who ever solved one war they start wars; they don’t solve them.”

Meanwhile, Trump witnessed the signing of an enhanced ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia a diplomatic breakthrough that has already earned him a Nobel Peace Prize nomination for mediating the decades-long border conflict between the two Southeast Asian nations.

The agreement builds on a truce signed three months ago after Trump called the then-leaders of the two countries, urging them to end hostilities, or risk their respective trade talks with Washington being put on hold.

Both sides blame each other for starting the five-day exchange of rockets and heavy artillery, which killed at least 48 people and temporarily displaced an estimated 300,000 people in their worst fighting in recent history.

• Conflict was neighbours’ heaviest fighting in years.
• Border battle temporarily displaced 300,000 people.
• Trump says agreement reflects US quest for peace.

KUALA LUMPUR: The leaders of Thailand and Cambodia signed an enhanced ceasefire deal on Sunday in the presence of US President Donald Trump, whose intervention in their fierce border conflict earned him a Nobel Peace Prize nomination.

The agreement builds on a truce signed three months ago after Trump called the then-leaders of the two countries, urging them to end hostilities, or risk their respective trade talks with Washington being put on hold.

Both sides blame each other for starting the five-day exchange of rockets and heavy artillery, which killed at least 48 people and temporarily displaced an estimated 300,000 in their worst fighting in recent history.

Trump has touted himself as a global peacemaker during his second term and his decision to weigh in behind Malaysian premier Anwar Ibrahim’s mediation efforts led to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet nominating him for the Nobel Prize, lauding his “extraordinary statesmanship”.

‘Strong commitment to stability and peace’

At a ceremony during a summit of the Southeast Asian bloc ASEAN in Kuala Lumpur, with a backdrop covered in US insignia and the words “Delivering Peace”, Trump called the two leaders courageous, adding the truce he brokered saved “millions of lives”.

“Because of America’s strong commitment to stability and peace in this region and every region where we can do it, my administration immediately began working to prevent the conflict from escalating,” Trump said, describing the agreement as a peace treaty.

“We just did the deal and reported the deal. Everybody was sort of amazed that we got it done so quickly,” he said, noting that the United Nations was not involved.

Guns have been largely silent along the border, though both sides have frequently accused each other of ceasefire violations that the enhanced agreement seeks to prevent.

Agreement to withdraw heavy weapons, free detainees

The two countries, in a joint declaration, committed to establishing an ASEAN observer team, military de-escalation and removal of heavy weapons from their border area, with Thailand agreeing to release 18 Cambodian prisoners of war if the measures were implemented.

They also agreed to coordinate on removing landmines, which were the trigger for the fighting after a Thai soldier was maimed during a border patrol. Thailand has accused Cambodia, one of the world’s most landmine-scarred countries, of laying new ordnance, which it denies.

“This declaration reflects our will to resolve differences peacefully in full respect of sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said.

Hun Manet said it showed conflicts must be settled peacefully, “no matter how difficult or complex our dispute may be”.

The agreement will be a feather in the cap for Trump, whose administration has this year been involved in mediation efforts in Gaza, between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and a brief conflict between India and Pakistan, while pushing to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, which he has admitted has proven harder than he anticipated.

• Trump to meet Xi in S Korea to finalise trade deal, end tariff war.
• Says he’s open to meeting North Korea’s Kim during regional trip.
• All set to sign Thailand-Cambodia peace deal upon arrival in Asia.

US President Donald Trump arrived in Malaysia on Sunday on the first leg of an Asian tour that will include high-stakes trade talks with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

Trump is set to meet Xi in South Korea on the last day of his regional swing in a bid to seal a deal to end the bruising trade war between the world’s two biggest economies.

As he left Washington, Trump added to speculation that he could meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for the first time since 2019 while on the Korean peninsula, saying he was “open to it”.

The US president will also visit Japan on his first trip to Asia since returning to the White House in January in a blaze of tariffs and international dealmaking.

“We will be signing the Peace Deal immediately upon arrival,” Trump said on social media of the truce he helped broker after the deadliest clashes between Thailand and Cambodia in decades.

Trump said he expected to meet Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit to improve ties with the leftist leader after months of bad blood.

During a refuelling stop in Qatar on the way from Washington, the US president met with leaders of the Gulf emirate, which is among the guarantors of the Gaza ceasefire deal spearheaded by Trump.

After Malaysia, Trump is expected in Tokyo on Monday, where the following day he will meet Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

The US leader said he had heard “great things about her” and hailed the fact that she was an acolyte of assassinated former premier Shinzo Abe, with whom he had close ties.

Takaichi said she told Trump in a phone call on Saturday that “strengthening the Japan-US alliance is my administration’s top priority on the diplomatic and security front”.

The US leader said he had heard “great things about her” and hailed the fact that she was an acolyte of assassinated former premier Shinzo Abe, with whom he had close ties.

Takaichi said she told Trump in a phone call on Saturday that “strengthening the Japan-US alliance is my administration’s top priority on the diplomatic and security front”.

Japan has escaped the worst of the tariffs Trump slapped on countries around the world to end what he calls unfair trade balances that are “ripping off the United States”.

The highlight of the trip is expected to be South Korea, where Trump will meet Xi for the first time since his return to office.

Trump is due to land in the southern port city of Busan on Wednesday ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, and will meet South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.

On Thursday, global markets will be watching closely to see if the meeting with Xi can halt the trade war sparked by Trump’s sweeping tariffs, especially after a recent dispute over Beijing’s rare-earth curbs.

Trump initially threatened to cancel the meeting and announced the fresh 100 percent tariffs during that row, before saying he would go ahead after all.

South Korea’s reunification minister has said there is a “considerable” chance that Trump and North Korea’s Kim will also meet.

The two leaders last met in the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas during Trump’s first term.

Kim has said he would also be open to meeting the US president if Washington drops its demand that Pyongyang give up its nuclear arsenal.