In battle for Putin's affections, cupid favors Xi over Trump

In the race to woo Vladimir Putin, China's Xi Jinping is beating Donald Trump.

Trump's quest to kindle a bromance with the Russian president has made some Americans squirm. His gushy performance in Helsinki, expressing confidence in Putin instead of U.S. intelligence agencies, ignited outrage across the political spectrum back home.

Should Beijing worry that Trump could succeed in pulling Putin away from China? Probably not, political analysts say.

Trump's charm offensive might cause Beijing a twinge of unease, given its tumultuous history with Moscow. But in this love triangle, Putin and Xi are linked by strategic necessity, plus genuine personal affection.

FILE - In this June 8, 2018, file photo, Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Chinese President Xi Jinping walk together during a welcome ceremony outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China. If Donald Trump is serious about his public courtship of Vladimir Putin, he may want to take pointers from one of the Russian leader's longtime suitors: Chinese President Xi Jinping. In this political love triangle, Putin and Xi are tied by strategic need and a rare dose of personal affection, while Trump's effusive display in Helsinki showed him as an earnest admirer of the man leading a country long considered America's adversary. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)

"Trump has made clear that he is a big fan of Putin," said Li Xin, director of the Russia center at the Shanghai Institute of Foreign Studies.

"But everyone knows that Trump frequently changes his mind," said Li. "His attempts to be friendly cannot compete with the history and the intimacy of Xi and Putin's relationship."

Moscow and Beijing are linked by practical and political needs.

China wants Russian oil and gas to power the world's second-largest economy. Moscow needs Chinese trade and investment more than ever following its estrangement from the West over its 2014 annexation of Crimea.

They share a loathing of Islamic radicalism in Central Asia and resent U.S. global dominance.

"Both leaders seek to curtail American influence, weaken U.S. alliances and modify the international system so it is more favorable to them," Bonnie Glaser of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington said in an email.

FILE - In this June 8, 2018, file photo, Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands during an awarding ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China. If Donald Trump is serious about his public courtship of Vladimir Putin, he may want to take pointers from one of the Russian leader's longtime suitors: Chinese President Xi Jinping. In this political love triangle, Putin and Xi are tied by strategic need and a rare dose of personal affection, while Trump's effusive display in Helsinki showed him as an earnest admirer of the man leading a country long considered America's adversary. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool, File)

Trump raves about Putin's political skills, but the Chinese and Russian leaders have long enthused publicly about their unique rapport.

Ahead of a visit to Beijing in June, Putin reminisced about celebrating his birthday with Xi over vodka and sausages five years ago.

"I've never established such relations or made such arrangements with any foreign colleague, but I did it with President Xi," Putin told Chinese state TV.

Xi presented Putin with China's first "friendship medal" — an ornate gold necklace — and called him "my best, most intimate friend."

The Russian and Chinese presidents have spent more time with one another than either has with any other foreign leader.

As far as it is possible for global leaders to become real friends, they are "setting a pretty high bar," said Alexander Gabuev, a Sino-Russian relations expert at the Carnegie Moscow Center.

"China has nothing to worry about," said Gabuev.

Following the Helsinki summit, China's Foreign Ministry welcomed improved U.S.-Russian relations. A spokeswoman said Beijing was "full of confidence" about its own ties with Moscow.

FILE - In this July 16, 2018, file photo, U.S. President Donald Trump, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin arrive for a press conference after their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland. If Donald Trump is serious about his public courtship of Vladimir Putin, he may want to take pointers from one of the Russian leader's longtime suitors: Chinese President Xi Jinping. In this political love triangle, Putin and Xi are tied by strategic need and a rare dose of personal affection, while Trump's effusive display in Helsinki showed him as an earnest admirer of the man leading a country long considered America's adversary. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)

"China-Russia relations will not be affected by any external factors," said Hua Chunying.

Yet there is the remote possibility Washington and Moscow might one day feel the need to unite against China if its rising influence tramples their interests, suggested commentator Harry Kazianis.

"While we might rightly see Moscow as a rogue nation today, tomorrow it could be a partner in containing a common foe," Kazianis wrote this month in The American Conservative.

That is unlikely any time soon, experts say.

Trump backtracked on one of his comments after the outcry back home over his apparent dismissal of U.S. intelligence reports that Moscow meddled in the 2016 election.

Rather than view Trump as a rival for Russia's friendship, China is more likely to be pleased by the growing split between Trump and American allies in Europe.

"Beijing has better ties with both Washington and Moscow than they have with each other," Glaser said. "China likely expects that Trump's visit will not change this reality."

WALTHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 15, 2026--

New England Donor Services (NEDS) today announced a record number of life-saving organ transplants last year from deceased organ donors in New England. In 2025, NEDS coordinated organ donations from 640 deceased donors resulting in 1,692 life-saving transplants. This record number of organ transplants represents the fifth year of consecutive growth in transplants and places NEDS among the nation’s top three organ procurement organizations (OPOs) by donor and transplant volume. Since 2020, NEDS has increased the number of life-saving organ transplants from New England organ donors by a total of 65 percent.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260115735770/en/

NEDS also coordinated the recovery of donated tissue from 1,861 donors, a record year for tissue donation in New England. Each donor can donate multiple tissues including cornea, bone, skin, heart valves, and other tissues used in necessary medical procedures to heal and transform lives. Tissue donated through NEDS is used in over 100,000 tissue transplants each year.

“Because of donors, courageous families, and the unwavering dedication of NEDS’ staff, generosity becomes legacy and hope lives on for thousands of transplant recipients – turning loss into healing and the gift of donation into life,” said Alexandra K. Glazier, President and CEO of New England Donor Services (NEDS).

While the number of organ donors remained steady during 2025 compared to the previous year, NEDS was nonetheless able to increase the number of life-saving transplants resulting from those donors by 8 percent. One reason was the expanded use of cutting-edge organ perfusion devices and techniques. The adoption of abdominal normothermic regional perfusion (A-NRP) – combined with transportable, ex vivo organ perfusion devices – improves the function of donated organs especially from older and/or more medically complex donors. Glazier noted, “Previously, these organs may not have been accepted for transplant, but now they are used routinely to the benefit of transplant patients and offers the opportunity for donation to more families.”

“My five-year-old son, Lincoln, now has a second chance at life thanks to his life-saving heart transplant,” said Ashley Stanger, a resident of East Haddam, CT, whose son spent 327 consecutive days at the hospital to be treated for dilated cardiomyopathy. “Lincoln received a new heart in March 2025, thanks to the generosity of his deceased donor. We extend our deepest gratitude to Lincoln’s donor. Thanks to this selfless choice, Lincoln is now able to attend kindergarten, spend time with his younger sister, and dreams of becoming a firefighter one day."

“I am incredibly grateful and humbled to have received the gift of life,” said Sean Moore, who lives in Grafton, MA, and received a kidney transplant in July 2025. “I am thankful beyond words to my deceased organ donor who selflessly saved lives by choosing to become a donor. My transplant has given me renewed health and the opportunity to spend many more years with my wife and three children.”

Looking forward to 2026 and the anticipated disruption of the donation and transplant system resulting from inaccurate and destructive performance metrics at the federal level, Glazier continued, “Poorly designed federal regulatory metrics may force the closure of up to half of the community-based non-profits coordinating organ donation for transplant in the United States with no clear plan for how the system will deliver services for these areas. Despite this looming uncertainty, NEDS is positioned to continue providing the stable, high-quality performance it is known for as a national leader in the field, which is necessary to ensure life-saving donation and transplants remain reliable in the New England region. We urge policymakers in Washington, D.C. to take the steps necessary to swiftly reform and modernize the current regulatory structure that could threaten patients that are on the organ donation wait list.”

One person can save up to eight lives as an organ donor and heal 75 people as a tissue donor.

Residents of New England can register as donors on their driver’s license, through the Apple iPhone health app or on the national Donate Life Donor Registry at www.RegisterMe.org.

About New England Donor Services (NEDS)
New England Donor Services is a leading nonprofit organization that coordinates organ and tissue donation in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, the eastern counties of Vermont, and Bermuda. Co-founded in 1968 by Nobel Laureate Dr. Joseph Murray, who performed the world’s first successful organ transplant, today NEDS works with thousands of donors and donor families who have generously made the decision to give the gift of life. The organization’s highly skilled staff medically screen referrals for potential donations from more than 200 hospitals across the region and lead all donor authorization discussions with families. NEDS also allocates organs according to the national transplant waiting list and coordinates their transport to ensure the right organs get to the right patients at the right time. Learn more at https://neds.org/ or follow us on LinkedIn or on X at @NEDonorServices.

In 2025, NEDS coordinated organ donations from 640 deceased donors resulting in a record 1,692 life-saving transplants. Since 2020, NEDS has increased the number of life-saving organ transplants from New England organ donors by a total of 65 percent.