MOSCOW, February 25 National Hockey League (NHL) club captain Washington Capitals» Alexander Ovechkin expressed hope for a speedy end to the conflict in Ukraine, his comment is quoted by The Athletic. Ovechkin made the first public statement since the start of the military operation to demilitarize Ukraine, on Thursday the Capitals protected the Russian hockey player from communicating with the media. «This is a difficult situation. I have family in Russia, and these are terrible moments. But we can’t do anything. We just hope that this will end soon and everything will be fine, «Ovechkin called. «Please, no more war. No matter who is fighting — Russia, Ukraine, other countries,» he added. Answering the question whether he supports Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ovechkin noted that he would like to refrain from political statements. «He is my president. But, as I said, I am out of politics. I am an athlete. As I said, I hope that everything will be done soon and everything will end. I do not control this situation,» the hockey player added.
