Frida Ghitis is a frequent contributor to CNN Opinion, and a world affairs columnist for The Miami Herald and World Politics Review. She is a former CNN producer and correspondent.

(CNN) Surely, Vladimir Putin let out a smile when he heard it. The Russian president has many reasons to rejoice these days, all courtesy of President Donald Trump, whose latest stunning statement was a call for America's allies to bring back Russia to the world's most prestigious club, the G7, a group of seven wealthy democracies.

The call is mindboggling for many reasons, not least of which is, well, the elephant in the room. There is no credible justification for democratic powers to invite Putin to their meeting and there are countless reasons not to do it. And yet Trump -- under the shadow of a special counsel investigation over the nature of his presidential campaign's relationship with Russia -- took Putin's side in a dispute with America's allies.

Directly and indirectly, Trump has been giving Putin many reasons to smile. Trump, who criticized Obama for coddling America's enemies and offending its friends, has taken the practice to new heights. He is corroding the transatlantic alliance, creating deep cracks in America's once-solid bonds with Western European nations. Nothing could make Putin happier.

Differences with allies are inevitable, but instead of resolving them diplomatically, quietly, Trump seems to derive pleasure from rubbing salt in every wound, from maximizing the pain. He may think that makes him look tough and energizes his base, but it is making America isolated and weaker. This has created a huge opening for Russia to carve out some of America's leadership and influence for itself.

Until now, one of the sources of America's power has been its ability to draw on the strength of its allies, countries with which the United States shared ideals about democracy, free trade, human rights, and basic respect for the individual. Trump is steadily distancing himself from those countries and those ideals. The G7 summit looks like no other before it. French President Emmanuel Macron warned America that it's moving against "its own history, its own values." Macron said the meeting, which Trump didn't really want to attend and plans to leave early, could produce agreement by six out of seven members , a G6+1, with the U.S. isolated from its friends over a number of issues, trade the most recent dispute.