THE HAGUE, November 27. /TASS/. The fact that Europe can't resolve the ongoing Ukrainian conflict by itself is "a disgrace," Dutch journalist, philosopher and peace activist Ab Gitelink told TASS on Wednesday.

"It’s a disgrace," he said. "It is a tragedy for Europe that it needs a right-wing conservative businessman in the White House in order to put an end to the war on European territory."

"The Europeans could have turned to Russia and Ukraine, organized negotiations in Istanbul. But they lack the initiative. There is too much mistrust between the countries," Gitelink continued.

According to the expert, US President-elect Donald Trump can get a deal done by telling Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky that if the latter refuses to sign a peace deal, the United States will cut its supplies of weapons and money. This is why Zelensky has recently been talking more about a possible peace and putting an end to the conflict, Gitelink noted.

"The main question is what this [peace] deal will look like," he said. "I believe that, in accordance with the deal, Ukraine will be left out of NATO. As for the issue of borders, there are various scenarios on the table."

"Some people are skeptical about the prospects for a peaceful settlement in Ukraine, but I believe that a deal will be reached and this is a positive thing," Gitelink added.

Trump stated earlier during his presidential election campaign that if he returned to the White House, he would resolve the Ukraine conflict even before taking office. However, he declined to provide the details of his peace plan.

Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier set forth the conditions for resolving the situation in Ukraine, which included Ukraine withdrawing troops from Donbass and Novorossiya and abandoning plans to join NATO. Moscow also believes that all Western sanctions on Russia must be removed and Ukraine’s non-bloc and non-nuclear status must be guaranteed.