KIEV, June 23 – Belarus on Wednesday paid its outstanding debt for Russian natural gas supplies, narrowly averting a showdown that could have shut down about 20% of Gazprom’s gas exports to the European Union.

“We borrowed $200 million and today transferred $187 million to Gazprom to pay the debt,” Vladimir Semashko, Belarus’ first deputy prime minister, said, according to Interfax.

Gazprom said Wednesday it will need one day to confirm the transfer.

The payment of the debt eases a major escalation of tension between Russia and Belarus which had threatened steady gas supplies to the EU, with Ukraine scrambling to prepare capacity for moving extra amounts of gas.