U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the possibility of U.S. and Russian hockey players being featured in games against each other during a phone call Tuesday, according to a readout of the conversation published by the Russian government.
According to the release, “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.”
Russia and Belarus have been banned from international hockey competitions by the IIHF since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.
The NHL said it had not been consulted on the possibility of Russia-U.S. games.
“We have just become aware of the conversation between President Trump and President Putin,” the league said in a statement to The Athletic. “Obviously, we were not a party to those discussions, and it would be inappropriate for us to comment at this time.”
Last month, the IIHF Council announced that Russia and Belarus would remain banned from IIHF competitions through the 2025-26 season.
“It is not yet safe to reintegrate the Russian and Belarusian National and Club Teams to its championships for the 2025-2026 season,” the IIHF said. “As the current security conditions do not allow the necessary requirements for the organization of tournaments guaranteeing the safety of all, the IIHF must maintain the current status quo until further notice.”
(Photo: Andrew Harnik / Getty Images, Mikhail Metzel / Pool / AFP via Getty Images)
