Ovechkin:
- Listen, guys, I don't make the decisions, but as an athlete I will say that we just want to play. this is.
We are in Ottawa now. The Prime Minister of Canada recently said that Russia's youth team will not be able to take part in the upcoming World Cup. How would you respond to Mark Carney?
- Well, this is his vision, this is his decision. I don't know how everything will work out in the end, but I am convinced that if you ask the fans, they will say that they want to see the best in the tournament. Future stars of that NHL. But it's not for us to decide, not for us.
- Do you understand why he doesn't want to let Russian players come here?
- What?
- Do you understand why he doesn't want to let Russian players come here?
- They don't have visas.
- Canada's sports minister - he is, by the way, an athlete like you - said that this is partly due to a fear that Russia is using its sporting successes to promote its domestic policies. Have you encountered such things in Russia?
- No. Like I said, as an athlete you just want to represent your country. Whether it's in world championships, Olympic games, European championships and so on. You just want to take part in these competitions and represent your country in them.
- Are you satisfied that the Russian authorities are using you as an instrument of their propaganda?
Nobody uses me.
- You don't think so?
- No.