Ireland's Coveney: Outstanding issues are proving very difficult

Ireland's foreign minister, Simon Coveney was out with some Brexit-related comments in the last hour, saying that Brexit talks are at a sensitive point and outstanding issues are proving very, very difficult.

Additional quotes:

• We recognise that the UK has red lines too.
• These negotiations are very difficult at the moment.
• Hopeful of a positive outcome.
• See a strong incentive to find a Brexit deal.
• We are running out of time.

The comments further tempered the recent optimism about a possible last-minute Brexit deal and kept the GBP bulls on the defensive. Meanwhile, the GBP/USD pair was seen hovering near the lower end of its daily trading range, just above mid-1.3300s.