Frida Ghitis, a former CNN producer and correspondent, is a world affairs columnist. She is a frequent opinion contributor to CNN and The Washington Post and a columnist for World Politics Review. The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author; view more opinion articles on CNN.

(CNN) Every day, it seems, brings another load of disturbing information about President Donald Trump's interactions with Russian President Vladimir Putin. A few days ago, we learned that Trump's behavior was so troubling that the FBI opened a counter-intelligence investigation to find out if Trump was working, " on behalf of Russia against American interests ." The probe merged with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, so we don't know what Mueller may have concluded.

More recently, we discovered that Trump has held five face-to-face meetings with Putin for which he made sure there was no written record , not even for his own top staff to review, going as far as confiscating the notes from his interpreter and warning him not to repeat a word of what he heard. Details from those meetings are even more troubling.

Trump spent two hours talking with Putin on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in July 2017 on the day he found out the US media were about to reveal explosive information that top Trump campaign figures met in 2016 with a Kremlin-linked lawyer at Trump Tower. The next day, on the flight home, Trump dictated a misleading email about what his campaign staff discussed with the Russians.

On top of this soaring mountain of tectonically suspicious behavior, we learned that Trump has repeatedly told his aides he wants to pull the US out of NATO , a move so drastic, and so clearly beneficial to Russia, that it must rank far, far above Putin's wildest dreams. It would essentially destroy NATO, with incalculably dangerous consequences , at a steep cost to the United States.

The fact is that whatever occurred before Trump was elected, there is little question that since becoming president, Trump has been implementing Putin's wish list.

To be sure, this is not proof that Trump is a Russian agent. It is conceivable that Trump's Russia-favoring agenda reflects his own ideas, which by coincidence align neatly with Putin's.

It still doesn't explain, however, why Trump had to conceal the content of their conversations. Perhaps he didn't want notes of the talks because they divulge statements like what he reportedly said to Russian officials, including former ambassador Sergey Kislyak, considered a spy by US intelligence, when he negligently brought them into the Oval Office after he fired FBI Director James Comey. Leaked notes from their conversation reveal that Trump told them "I faced great pressure because of Russia. That's taken off," with Comey removed.

Even before taking office, Trump already was helping Putin's agenda. His campaign worked behind the scenes to upend decades of GOP toughness on Russia, scrapping a call for arming Ukraine, which had been partially invaded by Russia.

Back then, and since then, Trump has excused Putin's aggression against Ukraine, claiming falsely that Crimea, which was forcibly captured and annexed by Moscow, is Russian because Russian is spoken there.

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The reality is that Trump has failed to criticize Putin or hold Russia accountable for its actions. Instead, he frequently praises him and takes his word over that of American intelligence professionals.

Trump claims he has been tough on Russia, but the reality is different. While it is true that the US has increased sanctions on Russia, this has occurred more in spite of the president than because of him. Last year, when Congress overwhelmingly voted to tighten sanctions, Trump sat on the bill for days. His aides reportedly had to convince him to sign it. After Russian nationals tried to poison and kill a Russian dissident in the UK, European nations expelled Russian diplomats in protest. Trump agreed to a similar move without paying much attention to the details and grew angry when he saw how many the US had ordered out, according to Washington Post reporting.

But it is the larger US foreign policy, Trump's overall approach to America's place in the world, that must be most pleasing to Putin.

Before Trump took office, the US led a unified alliance of democracies, NATO, which had a stated and outspoken commitment to its mutual defense and to the protection of human rights and democracy everywhere. Trump has moved deliberately to undermine all of that , fracturing the alliance and casting doubt on whether US forces should fight for other NATO members, and openly clashing with the countries that have been America's closest allies since the end of World War II. Trump's disorderly decision to leave Syria, incidentally, is another gift to Russia. That's why Putin welcomed it.

In addition, Trump has undercut the appeal of democracy while heartily embracing dictators and autocrats around the world. That is a fantastic turn of events for Putin and other undemocratic leaders who worry about their citizens demanding the democracy they see abroad. Trump has steadily eroded his country's moral authority in myriad ways, providing an endless stream of propaganda for US adversaries, who gleefully show, for example, migrant children in US detention centers and neo-Nazi protesters on US streets defended by Trump

Similarly, Trump's relentless attacks on the credibility of the press have been a boon to regimes with minimal independent media, like Russia's. His "fake news," slogan has given ammunition to autocrats everywhere, who wish to dismiss information they deem unfavorable. And his unprecedented stream of lies has blurred the lines between fact and propaganda, something demagogues have done throughout history. With the US president playing the same game, it's an easier ploy for Putin and the others.

The political chaos Trump's presidency has triggered in the US is surely a joy to watch from the Kremlin.

Is that chaos and acrimony what we want here? Putin may hope that the Russian people, watching the acrimony burning across America under Trump, might decide democracy is not a system worth fighting for.

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While Trump is indeed busy making the world more to Putin's liking, democracy activists everywhere are keeping a close eye on what happens in the US, where Trump critics are forcefully challenging him. Putin is surely smiling, watching Trump carry out his agenda, but there's no guarantee he'll have the last laugh.