Chairing the talks, Anwar says both sides taking steps to bring back calm in border areas

Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to an "immediate and unconditional" ceasefire in a significant breakthrough to resolve deadly border clashes that entered a fifth day, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Monday.

Anwar, who chaired the talks as head of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations regional bloc, said both sides have reached a common understanding to take steps to return to normalcy following what he called frank discussions.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thai Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai have agreed to an "immediate and unconditional ceasefire" with effect from midnight local time  on Tuesday, Anwar said as he read out a joint statement.

"This is a vital first step towards de-escalation and the restoration of peace and security," Anwar said.

Military and officials from both sides will also hold meetings to defuse border tensions, he said. The foreign and defence ministers of Malaysia, Cambodia and Thailand have been instructed to "develop a detailed mechanism" to implement and monitor the ceasefire to ensure sustained peace, he added.

Hun Manet and Phumtam hailed the outcome of the meeting and shook hands at the conclusion of the brief press conference.

Hun Manet said he hoped that bilateral ties could return to normal soon so that some 300,000 villagers evacuated on both sides could return home.

It is "time to start rebuilding trust, confidence and cooperation going forward between Thailand and Cambodia," he said.

Phuntam said the outcome reflected "Thailand's desire for a peaceful resolution." The fighting flared last Thursday after a land mine explosion along the border wounded five Thai soldiers. Both sides blamed each other for starting the clashes, that have killed at least 35 people and displaced more than 260,000 people on both sides. Both countries recalled their ambassadors and Thailand shut border crossings with Cambodia.

US prez says he stopped six wars

During his meeting with Britsh PM Keir Starmer, US President Donald Trump said his presence in White House has halted or prevented six wars around the world.

"If I weren’t around, you’d have, right now, six major wars going on. India would be fighting with Pakistan," he said.

He referred to the dispute between Thailand and Cambodia, claiming that his intervention – and his threat to cease trade talks – led to a ceasefire. Serbia and Kosovo is another area where he has made a difference, Trump said. He also cited the peace deal between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It was not clear what the other two are.