The Kremlin claims Trump backs Putin’s demand for international hockey matches

The Kremlin stated following the two leaders’ Tuesday meeting that U.S. President Donald Trump is in favor of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s proposal to host ice hockey games between professional American and Russian players.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine three years ago, the nation has been barred from participating in international ice hockey tournaments.

“Donald Trump supported Vladimir Putin’s idea to organize hockey matches in the USA and Russia between Russian and American players playing in the NHL and KHL,” stated the Kremlin.

North America’s top hockey league is the National Hockey League (NHL), whereas Russia is home to the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).

After the two leaders’ discussion, the White House released a statement in which it made no mention of hockey and did not address inquiries about the sport.

According to the NHL, a statement was not yet prepared.

“The conversation between President Trump and President Putin is something we recently learned about,” an NHL spokeswoman told Reuters.

“Obviously, we were not a party to those discussions, and it would be inappropriate for us to comment at this time.”

In the wake of Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) banned all Russian and Belarusian national teams and clubs from competing internationally.

Following the start of the invasion, the NHL halted its collaborations with Russian corporate partners, shut down its internet and social media platforms in Russian, and declared it would not consider Russia for any further tournaments.

The world championships in 2023 were later moved from St. Petersburg by the IIHF.

Professional hockey teams in the United States and Canada have nevertheless used Russian players.

Russian and Belarusian participation in the 2025–2026 season will be decided by May of this year, according to a decision made by the IIHF last year.

Cortina d’Ampezzo and Milan will host the 2026 Winter Olympics in February.

As a fervent hockey lover, Putin has played the sport in public in Russia on multiple occasions while wearing skates.