This view of the world may differ from what you’re used to, but it will help you understand why Trump and Zelensky see things differently. It will help you determine which one is right. Bear with me:

The Trump view is coming into focus. His attempt to end the Ukraine war began with his Secretary of State tossing essential negotiating points in the toilet—membership in N.A.T.O. is never going to happen, and forget about Ukraine regaining territory. Putin had already banked some of his greatest desires without giving up anything. Vice President Vance blasted some of our European allies as anti-free speech. Then Trump called Zellensky a dictator.

If you were a visitor from Mars assessing which side Trump was taking in the Ukraine conflict, the pro-Russian tact would be evident. Trump gave away his pro-Putin stance by allowing V.P. Vance, who is known to harbor ill will towards Ukraine, to attack its President in the meeting on national TV. The Russian response is unabashed glee. If Trump demands Russian concessions in private, would Putin be so happy?

Why does Trump favor the Russian dictator? There are two possible theories. Our President sees himself as Frederick the Great of Prussia, joining with his fellow monarchs in Russia and Austria-Hungary to divide up hapless Poland- only he sees himself getting together with Russia and China to divide the world into spheres of influence. That aligns with the view of Trump, the Narcissist adding “Great” to his title. His attitudes towards Canada, Denmark, and Panama point in this direction. How does this conform to our ideals? How does anyone but him benefit?

The other idea is more honorable but makes little sense. By taking Putin’s side even in the face of Russia’s horrific actions, Trump hopes to pry Putin away from its China alliance. Rather than maintaining our present partnerships and friendships, pairing up with Russia will strengthen our hand against China, increasing our power and security. Looking at the map above will show you how unrealistic a U.S.-Russia alliance to constrain China is.

The Arctic route from China to its European trading partners is becoming feasible as the world warms. Instead of the 48 days it takes a container ship to travel from Dalian, China, to Rotterdam, the Netherlands, through the Suez Canal today, it will take only 33 days. The route passes almost entirely through China’s ally, Russia’s adjacent waters.

How would China react to a Russian-U.S. alliance joining the nations at the Bering Strait, potentially blocking this crucial trade route? Add the Chinese investments in Russia, especially in the East, and you have set up a confrontation. Taiwan isn’t this important to China.

If Russia were a real superpower, Trump might think deterring China from action would not be a problem, but that’s not the case. As I’ve pointed out, Russia has the same GDP as Italy. Can you imagine China fearing that country if it got in the way of its crucial national interests? With one of the world’s fastest-falling populations and many of its best and brightest have fled to avoid the Ukraine war, Russia only gets weaker. Further, Ukraine has exposed the Russian military.

If China moved into Siberia, would the U.S. come to Russia’s aid? If Trump thinks Ukraine is too much of a drain, imagine what it would cost us to save Putin even if we didn’t use our military. If we bail on democratic Ukraine, would we do much more to sustain an ugly dictatorship?

Putin knows the situation and isn’t about to anger the senior partner in his present alliance.

Trump should be aware of these facts. His attempt to gain Greenland proves he knows the increasing importance of the Arctic. Even if Putin is willing to change sides, how would this improve our world position? It’s then in the interest of both China and Europe to chew up Russia. Instead, we might get a greatly enlarged China and a Europe buffered by a greatly diminished Russia. Is this Trump’s vision of the future?

It’s against this background we can evaluate the tumultuous Oval Office Trump-Zelensky meeting. The gathering aimed to sign an agreement giving the U.S. a half interest in Ukraine’s natural resources to pay for its help, but it’s not clear precisely what Ukraine was to get in exchange. The speculation is because U.S. companies will invest a lot of capital in resource development, we would have a continuing interest in an independent Ukraine.

Does any of this make sense? Much of what we know of Ukraine’s resources is based on Soviet-era maps and data. Someone must invest big bucks to discover what’s there and whether it’s commercially exploitable. Many of the prospects are in Russian-held territory. What U.S. companies are on board?

There are plenty of reasons for American companies’ reluctance to invest. They just lost billions on their Russian investments. If the Russians renewed their invasion, who would protect their holdings? Trump is firm about not using our military in Ukraine.

The same resources are available in the U.S. or friendly, safe countries. We don’t mine and smelt here because of regulatory and environmental difficulties. Even when we mine rare earths, we send them to China for processing because building the facilities here is challenging. The Trump administration says it will reform the process so we can mine, smelt, and refine here at home. If he is successful, companies will invest safely here instead of in Ukraine. Will Ukrainian resources be imported into the U.S. tariff-free? Trump’s positions seem contradictory.

If private investors pass on Ukraine, will Trump use U.S. government funds in this quasi-nation-building industrial policy? Isn’t this against what Trump campaigned on? Another possible contradiction.

Adding to the risk is that while these rare earths are now in short supply other than in China, companies are looking for cheaper, more plentiful substitutes, or if electric vehicles continue to fade, the shortage might evaporate. Are we taxpayers in the venture capital business?

If we’re confused about what Trump is attempting, imagine if you’re Zelensky with the fate of your people in the balance. Super Monarch, Putin’s partner, we produce here or in Ukraine, we need coherent answers from our President.

Or maybe, as I suggested, he tells Putin he better be prepared to make concessions, or we’re tightening the economic pressure and will give Ukraine the means to hit Russia where it hurts. After all, nothing else he’s doing looks like success.