KIEV, Jan. 30 – Ukraine assured the European Union on Wednesday that Russian natural gas supplies to Europe will not be affected by its emerging dispute with Gazprom over $7 billion penalty.

EU Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger met Ukrainian Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara in Brussels a week after Gazprom had slapped the penalty, Foreign Ministry reported.

The meeting underscores concerns in the EU that the dispute between Ukraine and Russia over the penalty may potentially aggravate and cause natural gas supply disruptions in the region.

“The parties discussed matters of securing energy supplies to the EU and Ukraine, including transit of Russian gas via the Ukrainian territory,” the ministry said in the statement.