President Trump oversaw the signing of a cease-fire between Cambodia and Thailand as he began a whirlwind five-day tour of Asia.
The leaders of Cambodia, Thailand, and Malaysia all thanked the president for his leadership at a summit in Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian capital, NBC News reported.
"On behalf of the United States, I’m proud to help settle this conflict and forge a future for the region,” Trump said.
The Thailand-Cambodia peace deal was formalized Sunday as Trump arrived in Malaysia, whose prime minister Anwar Ibrahim helped mediate the deal.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said Trump deserves the Nobel Peace Prize, while Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul also offered his “sincere appreciation” for the president's efforts.
Trump used the threat of higher tariffs against Cambodia and Thailand, both export-dependent nations, to end their five-day border conflict after it erupted in July, killing dozens and displacing hundreds of thousands.
“Millions of people are alive today because of this peace treaty,” Trump declared Sunday.
Speaking weeks after he brokered peace in Gaza, Trump quipped that ending wars has become a "hobby" of his as he claimed to end eight different conflicts and teased another for him to solve, as border clashes heat up between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
“I shouldn’t say it’s a hobby, because it’s so much more serious than a hobby, but it’s something that I’m good at, and it’s something I love to do,” Trump said.
“I heard that Pakistan and Afghanistan have started up. But I’ll get that solved very quickly,” he said.
While Trump has found success as a peacemaker in his second term, his efforts to end the war in Ukraine have proven fruitless, so far.
As Trump left for Japan on Monday, he slammed Vladimir Putin for testing nuclear weapons and accused the Russian leader of prolonging the conflict.
“I don’t think it’s an appropriate thing for Putin to be saying. By the way, he ought to get the war ended. A war that should have taken one week is now in its, soon, fourth year. That’s what he ought to do instead of testing missiles,” Trump said.
Before leaving Malaysia, Trump also signed trade deals to open up Southeast Asia to American imports and expand American access to key minerals.
The flurry of dealmaking is expected to culminate in an agreement to end the China trade war, which has placed significant pressure on American farmers. Trump will meet with President Xi of China in South Korea on Thursday.
“I have a lot of respect for President Xi, and we are going to come away with the deal,” Trump said.
