Overview
- Penn won Best Supporting Actor at the 98th Academy Awards for One Battle After Another, with presenter Kieran Culkin accepting in his absence and joking about it.
- Ukraine’s presidency posted a photo of Penn meeting Zelenskyy in Kyiv, where the president thanked him as “a true friend of Ukraine.”
- Reuters documented Penn’s arrival by train as the national rail operator said it kept the trip secret until he reached the capital.
- A senior Ukrainian official told AFP the visit is personal to show support, with a second source saying he plans to go to the eastern front.
- The trip fits Penn’s sustained engagement with Ukraine, including the 2023 documentary Superpower and a prior gesture loaning an Oscar to Zelenskyy, even as some social media users criticized his awards no-show.