Kyiv, Ukraine- Actor Sean Penn won the Academy Award for best supporting actor at the 98th Oscars on March 15, 2026, but did not attend the ceremony in Hollywood, traveling instead to Kyiv where he met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, according to Ukrainian officials and media reports.
Penn, 65, received the award for his performance in the political thriller One Battle After Another. The film was one of the major winners of the night at the 98th Academy Awards, held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
The actor’s absence became notable during the ceremony when presenter Kieran Culkin accepted the statuette on Penn’s behalf, noting that the winner could not attend the event.
Shortly after the ceremony, Ukrainian authorities confirmed Penn had arrived in Kyiv by train. Ukraine’s state railway operator released footage of the actor stepping off a train in the capital, saying the trip had been kept secret until his arrival.
Images shared by President Zelenskyy showed the two meeting in the presidential office in Kyiv. In a message posted on social media, Zelenskyy thanked Penn for his continued support for Ukraine, writing that the actor had stood with the country since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Penn has been a vocal international advocate for Ukraine since 2022. He previously visited the country multiple times during the conflict and co-directed the documentary Superpower, which focused on Zelenskyy and the early months of the war.
In 2022, the actor also temporarily left one of his Oscar statuettes with Zelenskyy as a symbolic gesture of solidarity during the conflict, according to officials and media reports.
Penn’s latest Oscar marks his third Academy Award win. He previously won best actor for his roles in Mystic River (2004) and Milk (2009).
The reason for his current visit to Ukraine and details of his meetings in Kyiv have not been fully disclosed.
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