But the echoes of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin's imperial land grab of the waiter's own country are clear to him. They're crazy. The pair of them. For those paying more attention in Ukraine, amid Russian airstrikes, the freezing cold and power cuts, the correspondences are not only clear, but often alarming even if for now Trump has switched from sabre rattling to trying to rationalise a vague and incoherent deal he thinks he struck for the territory with Nato.
The original 28-point US-Russian plan was drawn up last month by Kirill Dmitriev, Vladimir Putin's special envoy, and Trump's representative Steve Witkoff. It calls on Ukraine to withdraw from cities it controls in the eastern Donbas region, limit the size of its army, and not join Nato. During negotiations on Sunday in Switzerland led by the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and Zelenskyy's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak the plan was substantially revised. It now includes only 19 points.
Carving up another country illegally invaded, while its leader is not at the table negates not only the integrity of international borders, but undermines democracy.
"It's not going to make anybody super happy. Both the Russians and the Ukrainians, probably, at the end of the day, are going to be unhappy with it," Vance said in a Fox News interview.