As stated in (CNN) ‘That son of a bitch’: New Woodward book reveals candid behind-the-scenes conversations of Biden, Trump, Harris and Putin. Quoting,

The book also contains new details about Trump’s relationship with the Russian president. In 2020, Woodward writes, Trump had “secretly sent Putin a bunch of Abbott Point of Care Covid test machines for his personal use.”

Much has been made of Putin’s extreme fear of infectious disease exposure. He is frequently pictured at one end of his elongated white conference table, his guest at the other, which is the subject of much black humor. Putin is not a neurotic germophobe. The  reason is entirely logical.

Putin has cancer. Since there is no evidence of surgical intervention for a solid tumor it is probably a blood cancer. Blood cancers result in immunosuppression, as a result of both  chemotherapy, and the disease itself, which results in overproduction of nonfunctional, defective white blood cells. The exact species of cell depends upon the particulars of the disease. Quoting from Is Putin Seriously Ill?,,

The absence of facial inflammation suggests the swelling is the side effect of a glucocorticoid  drug, typically prednisone, which induces a well-known suite of side effects known as Cushing’s syndrome. The “moon face” is a hallmark sign, which may be disguised in photography with the absence of frontal views.

Prednisone is a powerful immunosuppressant. Putin may be receiving other chemotheraputic agents as well. All of the small-molecule drugs are powerful immunosuppressants. The result of exposure to COVID could easily be death.

Putin’s use of body doubles, which has been ridiculed as fantasy, is essential to his survival. When he is photographed wading into a crowd without speaking, that is not him.