Sean Penn gifts his Oscar to Ukrainian President Zelenskyy

It’s been more than eight months since Russian troops first invaded Ukraine in 2022, and there appears to be no end in sight. On Tuesday, award-winning actor Sean Penn gifted Ukraine a “symbol of faith” to get through the ongoing conflict – his Oscar statuette. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted about Penn’s gift on Instagram on Tuesday, saying it was the third time the actor visited him during the war. This time, however, their “meeting was special,” Zelenskyy said. 

“Sean brought his Oscar statuette as a symbol of faith in the victory of our country. It will be in Ukraine until the end of the war,” Zelenskyy wrote. 

In a video, Penn is seen pulling his Oscar out of a bag and saying “this is for you” as he hands it to the Ukrainian leader. 

“It’s a symbolic, silly thing, but if I know this is here with you, I’ll feel better and strong enough for the fight,” Penn said. “When you win, bring it back to Malibu. Because I’ll feel much better knowing there’s a piece of me here.” 

Zelenskyy said he also bestowed Penn with the Order of Merit of the III degree – an honor given for outstanding service. Earlier this year, Zelenskyy gave the award to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalists Maryan Kushnir and Serhiy Horbatenko for their “personal contribution to the development of domestic journalism and the information sphere.” 

“Thank you for such sincere support and significant contribution to the popularization of Ukraine in the world!” Zelenksyy wrote to Penn on Instagram. 

Penn first traveled to Ukraine at the onset of the war, when Russian officials announced a “full-scale invasion” of their neighboring country. That trip, Ukraine’s government said, was to document the events for a documentary.