Rust's syntax is basically a bog-standard C/C++ descendant, but with a slightly cleaner and more regular grammar.

I think it’s because the typelevel expressions (e.g. trait constraints, lifetimes, impl<T> for Trait<U>), ubiquitous refs, and other type annotations have a much more complicated and explicit grammar than what we tend to see in other languages.

It is really not that much like C++ syntax in that respect nor is it cleaner. In other respects, it is more like a cleaner C++, but this is an aspect that is in fact more complicated, and harder to read and write.

Rust people need to be more honest about what Rust is really like.