Recent Four Nations competition, which excluded Russia, clearly got beneath the skin of hockey-loving strongmanAmid the somewhat murky details emerging from Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin’s call on Tuesday – the two leaders discussed a halt on attacking energy infrastructure, then Russia immediately bombed Ukraine’s energy infrastructure – one deal, at least, was clear: the US and Russia would resume playing ice hockey.Although benign enough on the face of it, the idea of organised games in the US and Russia, between players of both countries, was yet another concession to Putin from Trump. Unlike the US president’s previous gifts – pre-emptively allowing Russia to keep the territory it has illegally invaded, refusing to give any security guarantees to Ukraine, and strongly hinting US sanctions would soon be lifted – this was soft power, wrapped in a pair of skate laces. Continue reading...
Putin's passion for ice hockey and Russia's strength in the sport are intertwined with geopolitics. Russia's exclusion from international hockey competitions following the Ukraine invasion has stung Putin, as hockey is a source of soft power and national pride. A recent call between Putin and Trump included an agreement to resume US-Russia ice hockey games. Historically, hockey matches between Russia and the West, like the 1972 Summit Series and the 1980 "Miracle on Ice," reflected Cold War tensions. Getting Russia back on the global ice rink would be a soft power victory for Putin.
