NH...what the hell?
President Donald Trump wants to thaw America’s relationship with Russia by inviting them back to the rink to compete against U.S. hockey stars.
The president and his counterpart, Vladimir Putin, shared a call about nuclear destruction and the fate of the Ukraine war on Tuesday, but also found a few minutes to chat about a little friendly competition on the ice.
ADVERTISEMENT
“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,” Putin’s press release said of the conversation. The White House did not offer similar details.
The aside took place amid ongoing discussions between the U.S. and Russia on ending the war in Ukraine. During the call, Putin agreed that the Russian military would halt attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure for 30 days—but little else of substance was set in stone.
Putin and Trump also discussed “technical negotiations” Tuesday on the “implementation of a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea, full ceasefire and permanent peace,” according to the White House. But Putin said he has specific requirements before he agrees to permanent peace. He asked the U.S. and their allies to end military and intelligence assistance to Ukraine—requests Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called “manipulative.”
The National Hockey League (NHL) is North America’s professional league, comprised of teams in both the U.S. and Canada. The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) usually includes teams from Russia, Belarus, China, and Kazakhstan, and it was founded in 2008 in an attempt to develop hockey across the globe.
Russia and Belarus, its ally, have been prohibited from playing in major international games since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. The decision has drawn criticism from Russian ice hockey stars, who maintain that their players deserve glory. Last month’s “4 Nations Face-Off” was the most watched hockey game in the U.S. since 1994, but the neither Russia or Belarus were allowed to participate.
The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) barred both countries from 2025-2026 competitions due to potential security concerns rooted in the Russia-Ukraine war. It is set to reassess the decision in May 2026.
Their decree could also impact next year’s Winter Olympic Games, although the International Olympic Committee makes the final call.
The IIHF said that it was “not yet safe to reintegrate the Russian and Belarusian national and club teams,” since the security conditions “do not allow the necessary requirements for the organization of tournaments guaranteeing the safety of all.”
Prior to Tuesday’s talks Putin also named a number of demands that Ukraine must comply with in order to establish a permanent ceasefire.
He wants Ukraine to recognize Russia’s annexation of Crimea, hold elections to replace Zelensky, withdraw troops from Russia-claimed lands, pledge not to join NATO, and limit the size of its military. Trump has recently expressed support for Putin, going so far as to call Zelensky a “dictator” and blame him for Russian’s invasion.
“Putin is afraid to tell President Trump directly that he wants to continue this war and keep killing Ukrainians,” Zelensky wrote on X last week. “That’s why, in Moscow, they are surrounding the ceasefire idea with such preconditions that it either fails or gets dragged out for as long as possible.”
