Ukrainian community criticizes idea of U.S.-Russia hockey match

This was stated by the Razom for Ukraine initiative, Ukrinform saw.

“31 Ukrainian-American and Ukrainian-Canadian organizations have signed an open letter demanding that NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman publicly reject any proposed collaboration with Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), calling the idea a deeply offensive move that disregards ongoing Russian war crimes in Ukraine,” the statement said.

It is noted that last month, during a phone call between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, a series of hockey matches involving U.S. and Russian professionals was discussed. “Leaders of major Ukrainian organizations in the United States and Canada condemn the attempt to use sports as a political tool while Ukrainians continue to suffer and die under Russian aggression,” the statement said.

The letter calls on the National Hockey League to uphold its own principles. “To organize any such events in partnership with Russian government or sporting officials would be to ignore, and thereby to implicitly endorse, Vladimir Putin’s crimes,” the appeal says.

Razom for Ukraine is an American non-profit founded in 2014 that implements a number of projects in support of Ukraine.