Congressional Briefing: Distributed Renewables & Energy Security in Ukraine
- Date & Time
- June 3, 2026 · 2:00-3:00 PM ET
- Location
- Cannon House Office Building, Room 340, Washington, DC
Virtual attendance available
In partnership with
Hosted by U.S. Representative Lloyd Doggett (TX-37) and Hromada Inc. in partnership with the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, this Congressional briefing will cover the current state of Ukraine's distributed renewable rollout, the role of municipal-scale solar and thermal modernization in frontline and near-frontline cities, and concrete ways U.S. policymakers, communities, and civic networks can implement grassroots energy resilience-building efforts.
Speakers include U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett; Councilwoman Nataliia Kholchenkova of the Chernihiv City Council; Kostiantyn Krynytskyi, Head of Energy at Ecoaction; Knut Panknin, US Country Director at the Friedrich Ebert Foundation; and Thomas Protzman, Founder and Executive Director of Hromada Inc. The briefing will be moderated by Max Gruenig, Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University.
Joint energy and defense staff attendance is welcome. Coffee and pastries will be served by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation.
For questions or media inquiries, contact thomas@hromadaproject.org.
Speakers
The Honorable Lloyd Doggett
U.S. Representative, 37th District of Texas
Senior member of the House Ways and Means and Budget committees, and Ranking Member of the Ways and Means Health Subcommittee. Rep. Doggett filed the first Russian sanctions legislation in the House the morning after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In the 119th Congress, he introduced the Ending Importation of Laundered Russian Oil Act with bipartisan co-lead Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) and co-authored a comprehensive House Democratic sanctions and assistance package, including provisions to leverage frozen Russian sovereign assets to establish a Ukrainian Reconstruction Trust Fund.
The Honorable Nataliia Kholchenkova
Councilwoman and Head of International Relations & Investments Department, Chernihiv City CouncilVirtual
Member of the City Council of Chernihiv since 2015, where she serves as the Head of the International Relations and Investments Department. She also leads the NGO Chernihiv Unity of Women.
Kostiantyn Krynytskyi
Head of Energy Department, Ecoaction — Center for Environmental InitiativesVirtual
Heads the Energy Department at NGO Ecoaction, where he focuses on green reconstruction, energy security, and decentralized renewable generation across Ukraine.
Knut Panknin
US Country Director, Friedrich Ebert Foundation
Knut Panknin is US Country Director at the Friedrich Ebert Foundation. With more than 20 years of experience at FES and as co-organizer of the “Global Atlanticists” network, he is well-connected across the broader transatlantic policy space.
Max Gruenig
Adjunct Professor, Georgetown University
Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University, Administrator of POCACITO Network, and a member of the Board of Directors of Hromada Inc. He is a climate and energy economist by training, with expertise and experience in the U.S. and Europe.
Thomas Protzman
Founder and Executive Director, Hromada Inc.
Built Hromada to channel U.S. philanthropic capital toward Ukraine’s municipal renewable energy transition. He holds a Master of International Affairs from the Hertie School in Berlin and writes on climate change, transatlantic affairs, and European politics.
