Actor Sean Penn, who has been filming a documentary in Ukraine amid Russia's invasion, made dual cable news appearances on Tuesday night and predicted the Ukrainians will win the conflict.
Penn appeared in-studio on both Fox News and MSNBC to discuss what he has seen in Ukraine amid the war and his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. On both networks, the actor said he believes a Ukraine victory is certain.
"It is clear to me that the Ukrainians will win this," Penn told Fox News. "The question is, at what cost?"
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Penn began filming a Ukraine documentary last year, and he met with Zelensky "the day before" Russia invaded. On Fox News, Penn said Zelensky was "born for" leading his country against Russia.
"In him, I saw something that I've never seen before in my lifetime," Penn said, applauding Zelensky's "extraordinary courage" and calling him the "face of something that you see in all the Ukrainians we saw and talked to."
Penn also told Fox the Ukrainians are "fighting to win" and that "if this thing is not won," "our children in America" are going to "feel it in tangible ways in their lives." On MSNBC, Penn similarly said that if Russia wins the war, "that's going to come to our doorstep very fast," though he doesn't believe this will happen because the Ukrainians are so united.
Penn stopped by Fox News to speak about Ukraine despite the fact that he admitted to host Sean Hannity, "I don't trust you." But supporting Ukraine was one issue they agreed on, and Hannity said that in this case, they could "forget our political differences."
Neither interview addressed Penn's recent threat to "smelt" his Oscars if Zelensky was not invited to appear at the Academy Awards. Zelensky did not make an Oscars appearance, though he remotely addressed the Grammys a week later.
