Cambodian migrant workers wait to cross the Ban Laem border checkpoint in large numbers on Monday in Chanthaburi, Thailand. Leaders of both countries reached a ceasefire later on Monday.

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia — Thailand and Cambodia's leaders agreed to an "unconditional" ceasefire on Monday, after five days of combat along their border that has killed at least 36 people.

Reading a joint statement from the leaders of both countries after peace talks, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said they had agreed on a ceasefire with effect from midnight on 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 restore 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 on Monday, Anwar said as he read out a joint statement.

"This is a vital first step toward de-escalation and restoration of peace and security," he said.

The military and officials from both sides will also hold meetings to defuse border tensions, Anwar said. The foreign and defense 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 Phumtham hailed the outcome of the meeting and shook hands at the conclusion of the brief news conference.

Hun Manet said he hoped 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.

Phumtham said the outcome reflected "Thailand's desire for a peaceful resolution".

Both Phumtham and Hun Manet thanked US President Donald Trump for supporting the talks. Hun said, "The solutions that Prime Minister Anwar just announced will set a condition for moving forward with our bilateral discussion to return to normalcy in the relationship."

The Malaysian meeting followed direct pressure from Trump, who warned the United States may not proceed with the trade deals with either country if hostilities continue. The joint statement said the US is a co-organizer of the talks.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted news of the ceasefire on X and wrote: "President Trump made this happen. Give him the Nobel Peace Prize!"

Residents displaced

The fighting flared last Thursday after a landmine explosion along the border wounded five Thai soldiers. Both sides blamed each other for starting the clashes, which have killed at least 36 people and displaced more than 260,000 people on both sides. Both countries recalled their ambassadors and Thailand shut all border crossings with Cambodia, with an exception for migrant Cambodian workers returning home.

The violence marks a rare instance of open military confrontation between ASEAN member states, a 10-nation regional bloc that has prided itself on nonaggression, peaceful dialogue and economic cooperation.

Evacuees from both sides of the border earlier prayed for a ceasefire deal.

At an evacuation shelter in Cambodia's Siem Reap Province far away from the border, Ron Mao, 56, said she and her family fled their home a kilometer away from the front line when fighting broke out on Thursday. They took refuge in a shelter but moved again to another camp further away after they heard artillery shelling.

"I don't want to see this war happen. It's very difficult and I don't want to run around like this," she said. Thai evacuees echoed the sentiment.

"I want it to end quickly," said farmer Nakorn Jomkamsing at an evacuation camp in Surin Province that hosted more than 6,000 people.

Locals expressed relief that a truce had been struck. "I am very happy with the ceasefire. This will let people go back home and children go back to school," 48-year-old Cambodian vendor Soeung Chhivling told AFP.

The 800-kilometer frontier between Thailand and Cambodia has been disputed for decades.