Sean Penn Visits Ukraine Instead of Academy Awards... Zelensky Calls Him a "True Friend"

Sean Penn Wins Third Oscar but Visits Ukraine Instead
Meets with Zelensky in Kyiv
Plans to Visit Eastern Front... Zelensky: "A True Friend"

American actor and director Sean Penn, who won the Best Supporting Actor award at the Academy Awards (the Oscars), is reported to have visited Ukraine instead of attending the ceremony.

American actor and director Sean Penn, who won the Best Supporting Actor award at the U.S. Academy Awards, was reported to have visited Ukraine instead of attending the ceremony. Reuters Yonhap News

According to Yonhap News, a Ukrainian official told AFP News Agency on the 16th (local time), "Sean Penn is here to show his support for Ukraine." The official added, "Sean Penn's visit is a personal one," and said, "He believes he should be in Ukraine."

Penn met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that afternoon. It has also been reported that he plans to visit the eastern front during his stay.

On the same day, President Zelensky released a photo from his office meeting with Penn, writing, "Sean, thanks to you, we have learned what a true friend of Ukraine is." He continued, "You have been with Ukraine since the very first day of the full-scale war, and that support continues to this day. I know that you will continue to stand with Ukraine and its people in the future."

President Volodymyr Zelensky shared a photo of himself meeting with Pen at his office on the 16th (local time), calling him a "true friend." Photo by AP Yonhap News

Penn has previously expressed his support for President Zelensky and has visited Kyiv several times. In 2023, he co-directed a documentary about President Zelensky. The film, which highlights Zelensky’s rise from comedian to wartime leader, was screened at the Berlin International Film Festival that year.

During a visit to Ukraine in 2022, Penn gave one of his Oscar trophies to President Zelensky. At the time, President Zelensky responded, "If we win the war, I will return the trophy to Sean Penn." Last year, on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival, Penn posed for photos with Ukrainian soldiers while appealing for support from Western countries for Ukraine.

The day before, at the 98th Academy Awards held in Los Angeles (LA), Penn won his third Oscar trophy for the film "One Battle After Another." However, he was absent from the ceremony. The fact that he chose Kyiv over the awards ceremony is being seen as highly symbolic.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.