Thai-Cambodia border shelling continues despite Trump’s ceasefire call
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Trump, EU chief seek deal in transatlantic tariffs standoff
US President Donald Trump and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen prepare to meet Sunday in Scotland. Trump has said he sees a 50-50 chance of reaching a deal with the European Union. The EU is currently subject to a 25% levy on cars, 50% on steel and aluminium, and an across-the-board tariff of 10%, which Washington threatens to hike to 30% in a no-deal scenario. EU would commit to ramp up purchases of US liquefied natural gas, along with a series of investment pledges, if a deal is not reached by August 1, according to diplomats. The deal on the table involves a baseline levy of around 15% on EU exports to the United States, with carve-outs for critical sectors including aircraft, lumber and spirits excluding wine, it is reported. But late-night EU talks with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Saturday to hammer out the final details were “combative at times,” according to The Financial Times. The European Commission has been pushing hard for a deal to salvage a trading relationship worth an annual $1.9 trillion in goods and services.
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US President Donald Trump has said he sees a ’50-50′ chance of agreeing on a trade deal with the European Union
TURNBERRY (UNITED KINGDOM) – US President Donald Trump and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen prepared to meet Sunday in Scotland in a push to resolve a months-long transatlantic trade standoff that is going down to the wire.
Trump has said he sees a 50-50 chance of reaching a deal with the European Union, having vowed to hit dozens of countries with punitive tariffs unless they hammer out a pact with Washington by August 1.
The EU is currently facing the threat of an across-the-board levy of 30% from that date.
Von der Leyen’s European Commission, negotiating on behalf of the EU’s member countries, has been pushing hard for a deal to salvage a trading relationship worth an annual $1.9 trillion in goods and services.
Any deal with the United States will need approval by all 27 member states. EU ambassadors, on a visit to Greenland, were to meet Sunday morning to discuss the latest negotiations — and again after any accord.
Sunday’s sit-down between Trump and the EU chief was to take place at 4:30 pm (1530 GMT) in Turnberry, on Scotland’s southwestern coast, where Trump owns a luxury golf resort.
The 79-year-old American leader said Friday he hoped to strike “the biggest deal of them all” with the EU.
“I think we have a good 50-50 chance” of a deal, the president said, citing sticking points on “maybe 20 different things”.
He praised von der Leyen as “a highly respected woman” — a far cry from his erstwhile hostility in accusing the EU of existing to “screw” the United States.
But late-night EU talks with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Saturday to hammer out the final details were “combative at times,” The Financial Times reported.
As of Saturday evening, there were “still quite a few open questions” — notably on pharmaceutical sector tariffs, said one EU diplomat.
Tariff levels on the auto sector were also crucial for the Europeans — notably France and Germany — and the EU has been pushing for a compromise on steel that could allow a certain quota into the United States before tariffs would apply.
– Baseline 15% –
According to European diplomats, the deal on the table involves a baseline levy of around 15% on EU exports to the United States — the level secured by Japan — with carve-outs for critical sectors including aircraft, lumber and spirits excluding wine.
The EU would commit to ramp up purchases of US liquefied natural gas, along with a series of investment pledges.
Hit by multiple waves of tariffs since Trump reclaimed the White House, the EU is currently subject to a 25% levy on cars, 50% on steel and aluminium, and an across-the-board tariff of 10%, which Washington threatens to hike to 30% in a no-deal scenario.
The EU has focused on getting a deal with Washington to avoid sweeping tariffs that would further harm its sluggish economy, with retaliation as a last resort.
While 15% would be much higher than pre-existing US tariffs on European goods — at 4.8% — it would mirror the status quo, with companies already facing an additional flat rate of 10%.
Should talks fail, EU states have greenlit counter tariffs on $109 billion (93 billion euros) of US goods including aircraft and cars to take effect in stages from August 7. Brussels is also drawing up a list of US services to potentially target.
Beyond that, countries like France say Brussels should not be afraid to deploy a so-called trade “bazooka” — EU legislation designed to counter coercion through trade measures which involves restricting access to its market and public contracts.
But such a step would mark a major escalation with Washington.
– Ratings dropping –
Trump has embarked since returning to power on a campaign to reshape US trade with the world.
But polls suggest the American public is unconvinced, with a recent Gallup survey showing his approval rating at 37% — down 10 points from January.
Having promised “90 deals in 90 days,” Trump’s administration has so far unveiled five, including with Britain, Japan and the Philippines.
Early Sunday, ahead of his meeting with Von der Leyen, Trump was out again on the golf course, having spent most of Saturday playing at Turnberry amid tight security.
The trip to Scotland has put physical distance between Trump and the scandal around Jeffrey Epstein, the wealthy financier accused of sex trafficking who died in prison in 2019 before facing trial.
In his heyday, Epstein was friends with Trump and others in the New York jet-set, but the president is facing backlash from his own MAGA supporters demanding access to the Epstein case files.
With the uproar refusing to die down, a headline agreement with the EU — in addition to bolstering Trump’s dealmaker credentials — could bring a welcome distraction.
Thai-Cambodia border shelling continues despite Trump’s ceasefire appeal
Hostilities between Thailand and Cambodia continued Sunday, with both sides accusing each other of fresh artillery attacks along contested border areas. This came after U.S. President Donald Trump announced both nations had agreed to work on a ceasefire. Cambodia accused Thailand of targeting historic temples, while Thailand alleged rocket launcher deployments near civilian areas.
The conflict, the worst in over a decade, has left over 30 dead, including 13 Thais and eight Cambodians, and displaced more than 200,000 people. Cambodia accused Thailand of targeting historic temples, while Thailand alleged rocket launcher deployments near civilian areas.
The dispute stems from unresolved claims over ancient Hindu temples, including the Preah Vihear temple, which the International Court of Justice awarded to Cambodia in 1962. Despite international calls for peace, the border remains volatile, with shelling heard into Sunday. Citizens from both nations have expressed hopes for an immediate resolution.
Thailand and Cambodia to hold talks on deadly border conflict in Malaysia
Talks scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. local time (0700 GMT) on Monday, with acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai leading the Thai negotiating team. Both sides accused each other of launching fresh artillery strikes across contested areas. The death toll has risen above 30, including 13 civilians in Thailand and eight in Cambodia, while authorities report that more than 200,000 people have been evacuated from border areas. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim last week proposed a ceasefire and U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the two leaders had agreed to work on a ceasefire. Thai army said Cambodian forces had fired shots into several areas, including near civilian homes, on Sunday, and were mobilising long-range rocket launchers. Border troops on both sides were reinforced amid a full-blown diplomatic crisis that brought Thailand’s fragile coalition government to the brink of collapse. The situation worsened in 2008 after Cambodia attempted to list a UNESCO World Heritage site as a Skirmishes site.
Item 1 of 5 People gather to receive water supplies donated at Batthkao Primary School camp, amid ongoing clashes on the Thai-Cambodian border that extended to the third day, with new flashpoints emerging as both sides seek diplomatic support and urge for negotiations, in Oddar Meanchey province, Cambodia, July 26, 2025. REUTERS/Soveit Yarn
Summary Thailand says Malaysia to host talks on Monday
Both leaders expected to attend talks
Death toll over 30, evacuations exceed 200,000 after four days of fighting
SISAKET, Thailand/PHNOM PENH July 27 (Reuters) – The leaders of Thailand and Cambodia will attend mediation talks over their deadly border conflict in Malaysia on Monday, the Thai government said, even as both sides accused each other of launching fresh artillery strikes across contested areas.
Talks are scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. local time (0700 GMT) on Monday, with acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai leading the Thai negotiating team, the government announced in a statement on Sunday night.
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Malaysia, which chairs the ASEAN regional cooperation forum, has informed the Thai government that Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet would also be attending the talks, the statement said.
Tensions between Thailand and Cambodia have intensified since the late-May killing of a Cambodian soldier during a brief border skirmish. Border troops on both sides were reinforced amid a full-blown diplomatic crisis that brought Thailand’s fragile coalition government to the brink of collapse.
Hostilities resumed on Thursday and, within just four days, escalated into the worst fighting between the Southeast Asian neighbours in more than a decade.
The death toll has risen above 30, including 13 civilians in Thailand and eight in Cambodia, while authorities report that more than 200,000 people have been evacuated from border areas.
Monday’s talks come after Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim last week proposed a ceasefire and U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the two leaders had agreed to work on a ceasefire.
CALLS FOR PEACE
Bangkok and Phnom Penh have each accused the other side of sparking last week’s hostilities.
Cambodia’s Defence Ministry said Thailand had shelled and launched ground assaults on Sunday morning at a number of points along the border. The ministry’s spokesperson said heavy artillery was fired at historic temple complexes.
“For me, I think it is great if Thailand agreed to stop fighting so both countries can live with peace,” Phnom Penh university student Sreung Nita told Reuters.
The Thai army said Cambodian forces had fired shots into several areas, including near civilian homes, on Sunday, and were mobilising long-range rocket launchers.
“The situation remains tense and Cambodian troops may be preparing intensified military operations to inflict maximum damage in the final stages before negotiations,” the army said in an update.
In the Thai province of Sisaket, Reuters reporters heard shelling throughout Sunday and said it was unclear which side of the border it was on.
A government health clinic about 10 km (6 miles) from the border had shattered windows, collapsed walls and exposed wiring. Local media reported it was hit by artillery on Saturday, two days after the building and surrounding neighbourhood was evacuated.
Only a few men remained to look after their homes, camping near a makeshift bunker they had dug for protection. Intermittent sounds of artillery fire could be heard in the distance.
“It’s great that America is insisting on the ceasefire because it would bring peace,” Sisaket resident Thavorn Toosawan told Reuters.
This map shows the locations where military clashes have occurred along the disputed border between Thailand and Cambodia.
Thailand and Cambodia have bickered for decades over undemarcated points along their 817-km (508-mile) land border, with ownership of the ancient Hindu temples Ta Moan Thom and the 11th century Preah Vihear central to the disputes.
Preah Vihear was awarded to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice in 1962, but the situation worsened in 2008 after Cambodia attempted to list it as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Skirmishes over several years brought at least a dozen deaths.
Cambodia said in June it had asked the International Court of Justice to resolve its disputes with Thailand. Bangkok says it has never recognised the court’s jurisdiction and prefers a bilateral approach.
Reporting by Shoon Naing and Artorn Pookasook in Sisaket, Panarat Thepgumpanat, Panu Wongcha-um, Chayut Setboonsarng, Panarat Thepgumpanat and Juarawee Kittisilpa in Bangkok, Chantha Lach and Zaw Naing Oo in Phnom Penh, Rozanna Latiff inKuala Lumpur; Writing by John Mair; Editing by William Mallard, Kate Mayberry and Clelia Oziel
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Trump says US will work with Thailand and Cambodia, adds both ‘want to settle’
Cambodia and the United States have agreed to a ceasefire. The two countries have been at loggerheads for more than a year. U.S. President Donald Trump said he would not back down from the deal. He said he spoke to the leaders of both countries on Sunday.
TURNBERRY, Scotland, July 27 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday he believed both Thailand and Cambodia wanted to settle their differences after he told the leaders of both countries that he would not conclude trade deals with them unless they ended their fighting.
“I spoke to both of the prime ministers, and I think by the time I got off, I think they want to settle now,” Trump told reporters at the start of a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Turnbery, Scotland.
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Trump said he believed Thai and Cambodian officials were due to meet in coming days.
Reporting by Andrew Gray; Writing by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Will Dunham
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Leaders of Thailand and Cambodia meeting for talks to end deadly border dispute
Thai and Cambodian leaders will meet in Malaysia for talks to end hostilities. This comes following pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to end a deadly border dispute. The fighting has killed at least 34 people and displaced more than 168,000. Both sides blame the other for the clashes, which flared Thursday after a land mine explosion along the border.. Both countries recalled their ambassadors and Thailand closed its border crossings with Cambodia. The Thai Foreign Ministry said that Thailand agreed in principle to a ceasefire but stressed the need for “sincere intention” from Cambodia, it said. The battlefield operations will continue and a ceasefire can only happen if Cambodia formally initiates negotiations, a Thai army spokesman said.. A new death of a soldier has been reported, bringing the total number of fatalities to 21, mostly civilians. More than 131,000 people have evacuated to safe locations in Thailand and over 37,000 have fled from three Cambodian provinces. Many border villages are shut down, with many schools and many schools evacuated.
Jirayu Huangsap said Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai will attend Monday’s talks in response to an invitation from Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim “to discuss peace efforts in the region.”
READ MORE: Thailand and Cambodia trade fresh attacks and accusations amid calls for a ceasefire
The spokesperson also said Phumtham’s Cambodian counterpart Hun Manet will also attend the talks, though this was not immediately confirmed by the Cambodian side. He added that Anwar was acting in his capacity as chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, held on an annual rotating basis by its 10 members.
Trump posted on Truth Social on Saturday that he spoke to the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia and suggested he would not move forward with trade agreements with either country if the hostilities continued. He later said both sides agreed to meet to negotiate a ceasefire.
Both sides agree to discuss a ceasefire
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said earlier Sunday his country agreed to pursue an “immediate and unconditional ceasefire.” He said Trump told him that Thailand had also agreed to halt attacks following the U.S. president’s conversation with Phumtham.
He said he tasked his deputy, Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, to coordinate the next steps with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and to engage directly with Thailand’s foreign minister to implement the ceasefire.
Thailand expressed cautious support. Phumtham thanked Trump and said that Thailand agreed in principle to a ceasefire but stressed the need for “sincere intention” from Cambodia, the Thai Foreign Ministry said. Phumtham called for swift bilateral talks to discuss concrete steps toward a peaceful resolution, it said.
Both sides blame the other for the clashes
The fighting flared Thursday after a land mine explosion along the border wounded five Thai soldiers. Both sides blamed each other for starting the clashes. Both countries recalled their ambassadors and Thailand closed its border crossings with Cambodia.
Despite the diplomatic efforts, fighting continued Sunday along parts of the contested border, with both sides refusing to budge and trading blame over renewed shelling and troop movements.
Col. Richa Suksowanont, a Thai army deputy spokesperson, said Cambodian forces fired heavy artillery into Surin province, including at civilian homes, early Sunday. He said Cambodia also launched rocket attacks targeting the ancient Ta Muen Thom temple, claimed by both countries, and other areas in a bid to reclaim territory secured by Thai troops. Thai forces responded with long-range artillery to strike Cambodian artillery and rocket launchers.
Richa said Trump’s efforts to mediate were a “separate matter.” The battlefield operations will continue and a ceasefire can only happen if Cambodia formally initiates negotiations, he added.
“Any cessation of hostilities cannot be reached while Cambodia is severely lacking in good faith and repeatedly violating the basic principles of human rights and humanitarian law,” Thailand’s Foreign Ministry said separately.
Cambodian Defense Ministry spokesperson Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata accused Thai forces of escalating the violence with bombardment of Cambodian territory early Sunday, followed by a “large-scale incursion” involving tanks and ground troops in multiple areas.
“Such actions undermine all efforts toward peaceful resolution and expose Thailand’s clear intent to escalate rather than de-escalate the conflict,” she said.
Thailand on Sunday reported a new death of a soldier, bringing the total number of fatalities to 21, mostly civilians. Cambodia said 13 people have been killed. More than 131,000 people in Thailand have evacuated to safe locations and over 37,000 people fled from three Cambodian provinces. Many border villages are mostly deserted, with many schools and hospitals shut.
Evacuees hope for a swift end to the fighting
Pichayut Surasit, an air-conditioning technician in Thailand, said the sudden outbreak of fighting meant leaving his work in Bangkok to return home to protect his family.
“I didn’t have the heart to continue with my work when I heard the news. I wanted to come back as soon as possible, but I had to wait until the evening,” he said. Now at a shelter in Surin housing some 6,000 evacuees, Pichayut worries for his wife and twin daughters, hoping the conflict will end soon so they can return to their home in Kap Choeng district, one of the hardest hit by shelling.
Bualee Chanduang, a local vendor who moved to the same shelter Thursday with her family and pet rabbit, is counting on swift negotiations to end the violence. “I pray for God to help so that both sides can agree to talk and end this war,” she said.
At the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV said he was praying for all those affected by war in the world, including “for those affected by the clashes on the border between Thailand and Cambodia, especially the children and displaced families.”
The U.N. Security Council has called on ASEAN, a regional bloc, to mediate peace between the two members. Human Rights Watch has condemned the reported use of cluster munitions, weapons banned by International law, in populated areas, and urged both governments to protect civilians.
The 800-kilometer (500-mile) frontier between Thailand and Cambodia has been disputed for decades, but past confrontations have been limited and brief. The latest tensions erupted in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a confrontation that created a diplomatic rift and roiled Thailand’s domestic politics.
Associated Press writers Chalida Ekvitthayavechnukul and Grant Peck in Bangkok, and Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur contributed to this report. Sopheng Cheang reported from Samrong, Cambodia.