These overtures are part of a rapid. These overtures are part of a rapid warming between Moscow and Washington during Trump’s second term. Warming between Moscow and Washington during Trump’s second term.
Faceoffs and power plays aren’t just hockey terms — they’re the language of international diplomacy.
This week Russian President Vladimir Putin revived the Cold War tradition of taking geopolitics onto the ice, suggesting in a call to President Donald Trump that American and Russian skaters play matches against each other.
While the challenge is yet to be accepted, it’s an idea with deep roots in the Soviet era when hockey became a proxy arena in which to address geopolitical tensions. Most notably for Americans, the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” saw a largely amateur American team defeat the mighty Soviet “Red Machine.”
But rather than seeking “war by other means” — as the sport is often known — Russia’s hockey fanatic leader likely wants to use the rink as a way to end his country’s pariah status, both in terms of politics and sport, experts say.
“Putin’s overarching goal is to break out of diplomatic isolation,” said Gary Smith, a former Canadian diplomat posted to Moscow who understands hockey diplomacy better than most. As a young career diplomat in Moscow in 1972, Smith was central to brokering the epic “Summit Series” that helped build relations between the Soviet Union and Canada. “This is a clever move by Putin,” he told NBC News. “Sports and hockey in particular are very important to him.”
These overtures are part of a rapid warming between Moscow and Washington during Trump’s second term.
