The aid is earmarked to support the two countries’ border stabilization efforts, demining, and tackling drug trafficking and cyber fraud.
Published January 9, 2026
The United States has announced it will provide $45 million in aid to solidify the fragile ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia brokered by President Donald Trump.
Michael DeSombre, the US assistant secretary for East Asia, said on Friday that the US would provide $20 million to help both countries fight drug trafficking and cyber fraud, which are major concerns in Cambodia.
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A senior State Department official said Mr. Desombre met with Thai and Cambodian officials in Bangkok and Phnom Penh on Friday and Saturday to discuss implementation of the peace agreement.
Mr. Desombre also said $15 million will be donated to border stabilization efforts to assist people displaced by recent fighting, and $10 million for demining and disposal of unexploded ordnance.
“The United States continues to support the governments of Cambodia and Thailand in implementing the Kuala Lumpur Peace Agreement and paving the way for a return to peace, prosperity, and stability for their people and the region,” Desombre said in a statement.
Desombre was referring to an agreement signed between the two countries in October in the presence of President Trump, then head of the ASEAN regional bloc, who visited Malaysia.
Border clashes between Cambodia and Thailand flared up again last month after the collapse of a July ceasefire brokered by President Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to end the previous conflict.
The Southeast Asian neighbors agreed to another ceasefire on December 27, ending 20 days of fighting that has left at least 101 people dead on both sides and more than 500,000 displaced.
Thailand accused Cambodia of violating the ceasefire, but later withdrew the accusation and said the Thai military had been contacted by the Cambodian side to explain that the so-called violation was a misfire.
Meanwhile, Cambodia has called on Thailand to withdraw its troops from several border areas that Phnom Penh claims as its territory.
The two countries’ long-standing dispute stems from a dispute over an 800-kilometre (500-mile) French colonial border, with both countries claiming territory and centuries-old temple ruins.
President Trump has vociferously argued that he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize, citing the conflict as one of several wars he claims have been resolved.
After taking office, President Trump slashed foreign aid, including freezing long-standing aid to Cambodia to clear landmines for several months, saying the government would only provide funding if it supported narrow U.S. interests.
U.S. citizens are being targeted by financial fraud operations carried out in fraud centers across Southeast Asia.
While Thailand is a longtime ally of the United States, the United States has sought to improve relations with Cambodia in an effort to separate it from strategic rival China.
