KIEV, Aug. 4 – Four days after the European Union announced a $1.7 billion loan proposal to help Ukraine buy natural gas, the government’s silence on the matter is raising concerns the money may not be enough.

Ukraine was seeking to secure at least $4 billion of loans from the EU and international financial institutions to buy enough gas to be used in the winter to ensure steady gas transit.

A spokesman at the Energy and Fuel Ministry on Tuesday declined to comment on the proposal.