President Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin discuss NHL-KHL games - ESPN

President Donald Trump supported President Vladimir Putin's idea to organize hockey games between the U.S. and Russia during their phone call on Tuesday, according to a summary released by the Kremlin.

According to the Russian government, Trump and Putin discussed «hockey matches in the USA and Russia between Russian and American players playing in the NHL and KHL,» which is Russia's professional hockey league.

«We have just become aware of the conversation between President Trump and President Putin,» the NHL said in a statement to ESPN. «Obviously, we were not a party to those discussions and it would be inappropriate for us to comment at this time.»

The NHL and KHL have played exhibition games in the past. In 2008, the New York Rangers faced Metallurg Magnitogorsk in Switzerland as part of the short-lived Victoria Cup in Europe. In 2010, the NHL had two games against KHL teams as part of its «Premiere Challenge» series, as the Carolina Hurricanes faced SKA Saint Petersburg in Russia and the Phoenix Coyotes took on Dinamo Riga in Latvia.

The NHL's relationship with Russia changed dramatically after Putin's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The league suspended its dealings with the KHL in March 2022, instructing teams to cease contact with KHL teams and with agents based in Russia. It also terminated its broadcast agreement with Russian television.

Russia has been frozen out of the hockey world since its invasion of Ukraine. It was banned, along with Belarus, from international hockey tournaments by the International Ice Hockey Federation since 2022. That ban was extended last month through the 2025-26 season, citing security concerns.

«As the current security conditions do not allow the necessary requirements for