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Sean Penn Skips Oscars for Kyiv Visit, Meets Zelenskyy Instead

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Roman Kohanets
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Penn
Sean Penn attends the One Battle After Another New York Screening at The Film Society of Lincoln Center Walter Reade Theatre on September 21, 2025, in New York City. (Source: Getty Images)

Actor and filmmaker Sean Penn arrived in Kyiv on March 16, skipping the Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles, where he received his third Oscar, according to various Ukrainian media outlets.

After arriving in Kyiv, Penn met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who praised the actor’s continued support for Ukraine. “Thanks to you, Sean, we know what it means to be a true friend of Ukraine,” Zelenskyy stated.

“You have stood with Ukraine since the first day of the full-scale war. And today as well. And we know that you will continue to stand with our country and our people,” the president emphasised.

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Penn’s latest trip adds to that record, reinforcing a relationship with Zelenskyy that has become one of the most visible examples of celebrity backing for Ukraine during the war.

According to the reports, Penn was expected to be in Los Angeles overnight to accept the award for best supporting actor for “One Battle After Another,” but chose to travel to Ukraine instead.

Penn has visited Ukraine several times since 2022 and has repeatedly used his public profile to support Kyiv on the international stage.

The actor has also supported creative initiatives tied to Ukraine’s wartime stories.

Among them is film “War Through the Eyes of Animals” brings together seven shorts by Ukrainian directors, each based on real rescues during Russia’s war, with Penn appearing in The Eagle rather than leading the film itself.

The Ukrainian producers presented Sean Penn’s symbolic $1 fee less as a celebrity gesture than as international backing for a film rooted in Ukraine’s wartime experience and creative resilience.

Producer Oleh Kokhan noted the bigger challenge was helping a Ukrainian war film break through industry fatigue and reach broadcasters, distributors, cinemas, and streaming platforms that have grown harder to convince.

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