Brussels, 07/02/2008 (Agence Europe) - Following the announcement of a new trade spat between Ukraine and Gazprom, over payment arrears of USD 1.5 bn for Russian gas supplied by Gazprom, EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs issued the following statement on Thursday 7 February: 'Gazprom has today contacted the European Commission to inform us about a commercial problem with Ukraine that may lead to the interruption of Russian gas supplies to Ukraine. Gazprom has given assurances that gas supplies to the European Union will not be interrupted. The Commission calls upon the two parties to find a solution to this commercial issue as soon as possible, and will continue to closely monitor the development of the situation. The Commission expects that, independently of the development of this commercial dispute, gas supplies to the EU will not be affected. The Commission is considering the possibility of calling for an urgent meeting of the gas coordination group if the situation calls for action. The Commission is in close contact with the Slovenian Presidency in following the affair.' (O.J.)