The two leaders held a phone call this week to discuss Moscow’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
U.S. President Donald Trump supports Russian President Vladimir Putin’s proposal to hold ice hockey matches between professional American and Russian players, the Kremlin said in a statement following their March 18 phone call.
“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,” the Kremlin said in a statement to media outlets.
The NHL) is the premier North American hockey league, while the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) is based in Russia, with teams also in Belarus, Kazakhstan, and China.
Trump agreed to remain in contact with Putin regarding all the issues raised during their call, the Kremlin said.
The Epoch Times contacted the White House for further comment but did not receive a response by publication time. An NHL spokesperson said the league was not yet ready to comment.
“We have just become aware of the conversation between President Trump and President Putin,” the spokesperson said. “We were not a party to those discussions, and it would be inappropriate for us to comment at this time.”
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Following Moscow’s 2022 invasion of neighboring Ukraine, Russian national teams and clubs were suspended by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) from taking part in international events. Teams from Belarus, a close ally of Russia, were also subject to the ban.
The invasion drew condemnation from the NHL, which suspended its business dealings in Russia, paused its Russian-language social and digital media sites, and said it would not consider Russia as a location for any future competitions.
The IIHF later moved the 2023 world championships out of St Petersburg. Last month, the IIHF extended the ban to cover the 2025–26 season, citing security concerns.
“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,” the federation said in a Feb. 4 statement.
A decision regarding reincorporating Russia and Belarus for the 2026–2027 Championship season will be made by May 2026, it added.
Trump, Putin Discuss Russia–Ukraine War
The White House confirmed on March 18 that Trump spoke with Putin regarding a 30-day cease-fire proposal that could pave the way for a possible end to the Ukraine war.
During the call, both leaders agreed the conflict “needs to end with a lasting peace,” according to a White House readout.
President Donald Trump receives a jersey and a hockey stick from Florida Panthers Matthew Tkachuk (R) and Aleksander Barkov (L) as he honored the 2024 Stanley Cup champions Florida Panthers at the White House on Feb. 3, 2025. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Trump and Putin also stressed the need for improved bilateral relations between the United States and Russia, while touting the “huge upside” to improved ties, the readout said.
“The blood and treasure that both Ukraine and Russia have been spending in this war would be better spent on the needs of their people,” the readout stated.
“This conflict should never have started and should have been ended long ago with sincere and good faith peace efforts. The leaders agreed that the movement to peace will begin with an energy and infrastructure ceasefire, as well as technical negotiations on implementation of a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea, full ceasefire and permanent peace. These negotiations will begin immediately in the Middle East.”
Trump and Putin also spoke broadly about the Middle East as a “region of potential cooperation to prevent future conflicts,” as well as the need to stop the proliferation of “strategic weapons,” the White House said.
“The two leaders shared the view that Iran should never be in a position to destroy Israel,” the readout stated.
The readout did not mention discussions between the two leaders regarding ice hockey.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
