Cambodia and Thailand say they are open to dialogue, but border clashes persist.

The leaders of Cambodia and Thailand expressed willingness to engage in talks to end deadly border clashes following an intervention by US President Donald Trump, but artillery fire resumed for a fourth consecutive day on Sunday.

AFP journalists in the Cambodian town of Samraong, about 20 km from the conflict zone, heard the roar of artillery at dawn on Sunday.

A Cambodian Defense Ministry spokeswoman confirmed that the clashes began near two disputed temples around 4:50 a.m. Sunday (9:50 p.m. GMT Saturday), in a conflict that has left 33 dead and more than 170,000 displaced in the border area.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said Sunday that his country is willing to discuss a ceasefire with Thailand based on Trump's proposal.

Manet said the US truce proposal "is good news for the soldiers and people of both countries," and instructed his Foreign Minister, Prak Sokhonn, to speak with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to coordinate with the Thais.

"Thailand agrees in principle to a ceasefire," the Foreign Ministry said earlier in X.

The announcements came after Trump announced that the two sides had agreed to meet and "quickly reach" a ceasefire.

Trump, visiting Scotland, confirmed having spoken with the leaders of the two Southeast Asian countries.

The Thai Foreign Ministry said Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai asked Trump to "convey to the Cambodian side that Thailand is willing to convene bilateral talks as soon as possible to present measures and procedures for a ceasefire and eventual peaceful resolution of the conflict."

A decades-old territorial dispute erupted Thursday into intense clashes involving the deployment of fighter jets, artillery, tanks, and infantry, sparking international concern and prompting the UN Security Council to call an emergency meeting on Friday.

According to the Cambodian Ministry of Defense, the clashes have left 13 dead—eight civilians and five soldiers—and 71 injured.

In Thailand, the army reported 20 dead, including six soldiers.

"Let the fighting end"

The fighting led to the evacuation of more than 138,000 people from Thai border regions and more than 35,000 from the Cambodian side.

"Relations used to be good, we were like brothers," said Sai Boonrod, 56, one of hundreds of Thais who took refuge in a temple in the eastern town of Kanthararom after evacuating their village.

"I just want the fighting to end so we can be like brothers again," he told AFP.

Cambodia called for an "immediate and unconditional ceasefire" during the closed-door meeting of the UN Security Council in New York.

"We also call for a peaceful resolution to the dispute," Cambodian Ambassador to the United Nations Chhea Keo said after the meeting.

Thailand's interim ruler, Phumtham, warned on Friday that "if the situation worsens, it could lead to war."

Each side accuses the other of firing first. Thailand claims Cambodia attacked civilian infrastructure, including a hospital and a gas station hit by a rocket.

According to Cambodia, Thai forces used cluster bombs.

At the UN, Cambodia's representative questioned Thailand's claim that its smaller, militarily less developed country initiated the fighting.

These clashes represent a dramatic escalation of a long-standing dispute between these two neighbors, who share 800 kilometers of border and attract millions of foreign tourists each year.

Tens of kilometers of this border dotted with ancient temples remain disputed. Between 2008 and 2011, clashes took place, leaving 28 dead and tens of thousands displaced.

A 2013 ruling in favor of Cambodia by the UN's International Court of Justice settled that crisis for more than a decade, but tensions flared again in May with the death of a Cambodian soldier in a shootout in the disputed border area.