MOSCOW, November 14./TASS/. The preconditions for negotiations on Ukraine, including the withdrawal of Russian troops are unacceptable for Moscow, as the situation on the ground must be taken into account for any dialogue, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told journalists on Monday.

"No, such conditions are certainly unacceptable. Our president has repeatedly said that we are ready for negotiations. But these negotiations must, of course, take into account the situation on the ground," the senior diplomat said, commenting on Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto's statement that any peace talks on Ukraine could take place only if Russia withdrew its troops.

Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the Russian leadership remained ready for negotiations on Ukraine. He noted that Russia was ready to hear out its Western colleagues if they put forward a proposal to hold a dialogue on reducing tensions taking into account Moscow’s interests.