US President Donald Trump says he should get the Nobel Peace Prize for resolving eight conflicts since taking office in January. The claim is widely disputed and violence has re-emerged in some places, including the Democratic Republic of Congo and along the Cambodia-Thailand border. Below are international disputes where Trump has intervened and the current status of each.
ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN
Trump convened Armenia and Azerbaijan leaders on August 8 to sign a joint declaration pledging to seek peaceful relations after decades of hostility. Trump has said he used trade leverage to press them to stop fighting. The declaration is not a formal, legally binding peace treaty; major issues remain unresolved, including possible constitutional changes in Armenia. The leaders also struck economic deals granting the US development rights to a strategic transit corridor through southern Armenia—documents named the corridor after Trump. A 2023 ceasefire existed beforehand, and while a draft peace agreement text was reportedly agreed in March, it has not been signed.
CAMBODIA AND THAILAND
In July border clashes along a roughly 200-km stretch sparked the deadliest fighting between the two in over a decade. Trump reached out to then-acting Thai Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai amid the outbreak and used trade pressure—threatening tariff actions—until fighting subsided. A ceasefire was signed in Malaysia in October with US facilitation. Trump imposed a 19% tariff on U.S.-bound exports from both countries, lower than initial proposals. Despite the Malaysia agreement, fresh fighting resumed when Thai jets struck Cambodian targets in a later episode, showing the ceasefire remains fragile.
ISRAEL, IRAN AND THE PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES
Trump helped broker a first-phase October hostage-and-ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas that led to the release of hostages taken during the attacks that ignited the Gaza war. The agreement marked a major step toward ending a conflict that killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, but both sides have accused the other of violating the truce. Deep disagreements persist over Hamas disarmament, governance of post-war Gaza, and the role and mandate of any international security force. Trump is also working to expand the Abraham Accords to normalize ties between Israel and Arab states. Separately, Trump initially sought talks with Iran over its nuclear program, then supported Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites in June and pressed for a Qatar-mediated ceasefire. Iran continues enriching uranium and rejects US demands, and Israel has warned of further strikes if it feels threatened.
RWANDA AND DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
Rwanda-backed M23 rebels launched a rapid offensive and control more territory in eastern DRC than before. Under US pressure, Rwanda and Congo signed a US-brokered agreement on June 27, but it has not been implemented and fighting continues. Trump hosted the leaders at a Washington event at a US-backed peace institute his administration informally renamed for him, where they signed additional documents reaffirming the plan. Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi has accused Rwanda of violating commitments; Rwanda denies backing M23, though UN experts and Congolese officials say otherwise. Qatar has separately mediated talks between Congo and M23. The insurgency ties back to regional dynamics stemming from the 1994 Rwandan genocide. The US has warned of “very severe penalties” for violations and is seeking access to Congo’s critical minerals amid competition with China.
INDIA AND PAKISTAN
When India and Pakistan clashed in May after an attack India blamed on Islamabad, US officials feared escalation between two nuclear-armed neighbors. With Trump’s involvement and pressure from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance, both sides agreed to a ceasefire announced on May 10 after four days of fighting. The truce reduced immediate hostilities but did not resolve long-standing disputes; India has disputed that US trade threats were decisive in securing the ceasefire.
EGYPT AND ETHIOPIA
The dispute centers on Ethiopia’s Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which Egypt regards as an existential threat to Nile water supplies. Trump said in July the issue “is going to get solved” and a White House spokeswoman later listed Egypt and Ethiopia among conflicts the president had “ended.” Publicly, Trump has echoed Egyptian concerns while Ethiopia has disputed his statements. Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed opened the dam in September despite objections from Sudan and Egypt; Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has vowed to protect Egypt’s interests. No comprehensive resolution is in evidence.
SERBIA AND KOSOVO
Trump brokered agreements during his first term aimed at improving economic ties, and he has claimed—without evidence—that he “stopped” war between the two and can fix it again. Kosovo declared independence in 2008, which Serbia does not recognize; no peace treaty exists. Tensions remain, particularly in northern Kosovo where many ethnic Serbs reject Pristina’s authority. Kosovo’s president said Trump recently helped prevent escalation, but Serbia’s president denied any imminent threat. The underlying political disputes continue.
RUSSIA AND UKRAINE
Trump said during his 2024 campaign he could end the war in Ukraine in a day; by August he conceded it was one of the most difficult conflicts. The nearly four-year war has caused vast casualties and destruction. Trump has shifted between calling for a ceasefire and urging a negotiated deal while fighting continued. He imposed sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil companies in October but has since advocated pressuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to accept a settlement that many European leaders fear would favor Moscow and destabilize Europe. No resolution has been reached.
SOUTH KOREA AND NORTH KOREA
Trump has said he wants to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un again to pursue peace. The two met three times during Trump’s first term and exchanged personal correspondence before talks collapsed over US demands for denuclearization. Since then, North Korea has accelerated its missile and nuclear programs and strengthened ties with regional partners; Trump has acknowledged North Korea is a nuclear power. Kim said he would not avoid talks if Washington dropped its insistence on full denuclearization, but no substantive new breakthrough has occurred.
Bottom line: Trump has used diplomacy, economic leverage, high-profile summits, and US-brokered documents to press leaders toward ceasefires and agreements in multiple conflicts. In many cases, declarations or agreements brokered or endorsed by his administration have not been transformed into durable, enforceable peace deals, and violence or deep disagreements have persisted.
