Sean Penn has given Ukrainian President his Oscar, telling him to bring it back to Malibu when his nation emerges victorious from the war with Russia.

The actor has been a vocal supporter of Ukraine since war broke out in February and had already travelled to Kyiv twice.

Returning to the Ukrainian capital to see Volodymyr Zelensky, Penn was filmed withdrawing one of his Academy Awards from a bag and placing it on the Ukrainian president’s desk.

“This is for you. It’s just a symbolic silly thing, but if I know this is here with you then I’ll feel better and stronger for the fight... When you win, bring it back to Malibu. I’ll feel much better knowing a piece of me is here”, - the actor told Zelensky.

Ukrainian leader gratefully accepted the Oscar statuette, describing it as a “great honor”. Zelensky in turn presented Penn with a Ukrainian Order of Merit to thank him “for his sincere support and significant contribution to the popularization of Ukraine in the world”.