In a statement published on 26 July, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Moldova's decision to suspend participation in the five-sided negotiations with Tiraspol until 1 August "lends a political dimension to a humanitarian issue." The ministry added the issue of school closures can not be resolved through "an escalation of rhetoric." It also mentioned that the three international negotiators (the OSCE, Ukraine, and Russia) "have expressed concern about the new negative turn in the dialogue between Chisinau and Tiraspol."
