Penn visits Zelenskyy, loans him an Oscar

UKRAINE - Sean Penn has given Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy his Oscar, telling him to bring it back to Malibu when his nation emerges victorious from the war with Russia.

The actor and director (62), has been a vocal supporter of Ukraine since war broke out in February and had already travelled to Kyiv twice this year prior to today’s trip.

Returning to the Ukrainian capital to see Zelenskyy, whom he earlier referred to as his ‘great friend’, Penn was filmed withdrawing one of his Academy Awards from a bag and placing it on the Ukrainian president’s desk.

‘This is for you,’ the actor told Zelensky. ‘It’s just a symbolic silly thing, but if I know this is here with you then I’ll feel better and stronger for the fight.

‘When you win, bring it back to Malibu. I’ll feel much better knowing a piece of me is here,’ he concluded.

Zelenskyy, who prior to his entry into politics was a well-known actor and comedian, was clearly flattered and gratefully accepted the Oscar statuette, describing it as a ‘great honour’.

He was later seen carefully placing the golden trophy on the mantelpiece in his presidential office.

Zelenskyy in turn presented Penn with a Ukrainian Order of Merit to thank him ‘for his sincere support and significant contribution to the popularisation of Ukraine in the world’.

Penn, who won a pair of Best Actor academy awards for his performances in Mystic River (2003) and Milk (2008), is one of several prominent US actors to have made the journey to Ukraine since Russian tanks rolled across the border on February 24.

He was banned from entering Russia in September when Vladimir Putin’s foreign ministry added him, along with Ben Stiller, to a list of US citizens barred from the country due to his overt criticism of the conflict.

Penn was in Ukraine recording a documentary when Russia invaded and was forced to flee, crossing into Poland like many Ukrainian refugees.

He has since expressed great admiration for Zelenskyy, and also admitted he’d considered taking up arms to fight alongside the Ukrainian military as it continues to battle Russian forces in Ukraine’s south east.

‘‘Part of what makes (Zelenskyy) so particularly extraordinary is that courage, he’s the face of so many Ukrainians. I mean this is leadership we aspire to, this is freedom of thought and true leadership that mostly is just so moving,’’ Penn said earlier this year.

‘‘If you’ve been in Ukraine (fighting) has to cross your mind. And you kind of think what century is this? Because I was at the gas station in Brentwood the other day and I’m now thinking about taking up arms against Russia? What the f --- is going on?’’

Stiller meanwhile travelled to Ukraine this summer in his role as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Refugees.