Sean Penn has been a huge supporter of Ukraine ever since Russia‘s invasion, so during his third visit to the country since the conflict began, he gave Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a present to keep until the country announces its victory.
Ukraine’s Internal Affairs Minister, Anton Gerashchenko, shared a video of Penn’s visit to the country and sat down with Zelensky. In the video, Penn gave Zelensky his Oscar trophy, and Zelensky was shocked. Penn explained that this gift was a symbol of faith in Ukraine’s victory and told Zelensky that he can give it back once he wins.
“I feel terrible outside. It’s just a symbolic silly thing. But if I know that this is here with you, then I’ll feel better and stronger for the fight. When you win, bring it back to Malibu because I feel much better that there is a piece of me here.”
In exchange, President Zelensky gave Penn a Ukrainian Order of Merit, saying it was a gift from the whole of Ukraine. According to Daily Mail, the medal was given due to Penn’s “sincere support and significant contribution to the popularisation of Ukraine in the world.”
Zelensky had one more surprise for Penn during his visit. He showed him a special tile placed in the Alley of Courage in Kyiv in honor of the actor. The tile had Penn’s name on it and had the date “Feb 24, 2022,” the same date when Russia invaded the country.
Penn was in Ukraine since the invasion began. The actor announced that he was shooting a documentary about Russia’s invasion, with the support of the Ukrainian government. He also stated that he’s willing to join the fight with Ukraine as part of their international legion to help them defend their country.
Due to his ongoing support for Ukraine, Russia has banned Penn from entering the country as part of their response to the “ever-expanding” personal sanctions by the Biden administration in the U.S.
It’s been eight months since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began. While it’s currently unknown when the conflict will end, there are people out there who are still hopeful that Ukraine will get through this crisis.
