I Won't Play Hockey with Putin Anymore: Finland's President and Kremlin's Reaction

Finland's President Sauli Niinistö has announced that he will no longer play hockey with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. He made this statement in an interview with the Italian newspaper La Repubblica.

"No, I wouldn’t play with Putin anymore," he said.

The Kremlin quickly responded, with Russian President Vladimir Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov emphasizing that Putin has ample partners to play hockey with.

"In fact, sports and team games like hockey foster mutual trust. From this perspective, it was once a very, very good and positive practice at the very beginning of Mr. Niinistö’s presidency. Well, now he says he won’t play. Putin does not lack members of his team and overall team. Therefore, Putin plays hockey and does so regularly," Peskov stated.

It is known that in 2012, following negotiations, Niinistö and Putin participated in a hockey match between the national teams of Russia and Finland in Leningrad Region. At that time, the Finnish president chose to play in the red uniform of the Russian team.