ANKARA: Ukraine and Russian have positions on the Black Sea that are “difficult to reconcile” to end the attacks there, Turkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Saturday in a television interview. Exasperated by the ongoing Black Sea attacks, Turkiye sent a proposal to Russia and Ukraine to end strikes on civilian ships, a Turkish diplomat told AFP on Thursday. “We sent proposals to both sides,” Fidan told NTV. “We received responses from both sides. “We are trying to reach a conclusion. Frankly, both sides have demands and positions that are difficult to reconcile,” he added. “Our first priority is the extraction of grain from the Black Sea,” said Fidan. “Countries around the world need it. Grain is a product that both country sells. But there are difficulties to overcome. Turkiye’s diplomatic initiative follows a sharp increase in attacks on commercial ships in the Black Sea in recent months, often by drones, with many Turkish vessels among those targeted.