Sean Penn has a tremendous amount of respect for Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Penn was in Ukraine on the day of Russia’s invasion. The actor documented his experiencing walking to the Poland border for safety. In a new interview with “Anderson Cooper 360″, Penn reflected on meeting with Zelenskyy.
“Meeting with president Zelenskyy the day before the invasion and then meeting with him again on the day of the invasion, I don’t know if he knew he was born for this, but it was clear that I was in the presence of something… that was new to the modern world in terms of courage and dignity and love,” Penn told Cooper, per TheWrap.
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"It was clear I was in the presence of something — and again, I think reflective of so many Ukrainians — that was new, that was new to the modern world in terms of courage and dignity" – @SeanPenn, actor and co-founder of @CoreResponse, on meeting Ukrainian President Zelensky. pic.twitter.com/AM6rRQmhl3
— CNN (@CNN) March 5, 2022
“This is an extraordinary moment. I was impressed and moved by him and terrified for him and for Ukraine.”
Penn’s nonprofit organization, Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE), is actively supporting people in Ukraine amid the battle.
“We’re distributing hygiene kits. We’re giving cash assistance and water to refugees as they come through,” he said. “We’re working now to bring our staff into the other side as well, because you really have two kinds of struggles with the refugees.
“One is trying to get out of the country, and the other, figuring out what to do.”
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Penn detailed just how much refugees are suffering.
“A lot of the people, plenty of them well-to-do, left their jobs and bank accounts behind, and so this is their new reality,” he continued. “We need assistance with CORE.
“We’ve never been very good at getting on the media front, which is ironic, given that I’m supposed to help do that when it comes to the cash assistance that CORE needs to help people but I definitely want to ask people to help us out.”
