Experts: Sport to play role in Trump Ukraine peace talks with Putin
Sport could be a key player in the Ukraine peace talks between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.
While “land swapping” and “combat lines” are set to dominate the discussions at an Anchorage army base this week, geopolitical experts have suggested sport could be used as a soft diplomacy tool, to demonstrate friendship between foes.
It comes after a surprise invitation to foreign journalists to attend the Russian Athletics National Championships in Kazan last weekend, after years of silence.
“One imagines that when Russian and US officials meet in Alaska, there will be more on the agenda than just discussions about Ukraine,” Professor Simon Chadwick tells Morning Wire.
“Given that sporting bans were largely imposed following Russia’s 2022 invasion, any de-escalation of tensions and movement towards agreement will likely see some degree of detente being achieved in sporting matters.”
Sport, Trump and Putin walk into an army base…
It has been reported that World Athletics, headed up by Brit and Moscow 1980 Olympic silver medal winner Lord Seb Coe, will only allow Russian participation in sport at the highest level after the war in Eastern Europe has concluded.
But earlier this year President Trump said the United States and Russia would resume international ice hockey matches. That has yet to occur.
And just months ago he insisted the Fifa World Cup – which the United States is co-hosting with Canada and Mexico – should be a sporting goal Russia should end its illegal war for, despite qualification remaining unlikely.
“Russian Athletics inviting international media to their National Championships in Kazan could be evidence of Russia’s willingness to make concessions that might ultimately lead to the country being re-integrated back into the global sporting community,” Chadwick adds.
“However, if talks don’t go well, Russia could quickly move to withdraw such invitations. Either way, it seems likely that sport will be deployed as a policy instrument by all sides in the ongoing Ukrainian conflict.”