Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, made a virtual appearance during the Golden Globes broadcast on Tuesday night.
Zelenskyy was introduced by actor and director Sean Penn, best known for his Academy Award-winning performances in Mystic River (2003) and Milk (2008). The “Gaslit” star met with Zelenskyy in Kyiv last November to express his support for the war-torn country, where he filmed a documentary for Vice Studios earlier in the year.
“From the otherworldly courage of young Iranians rising up,” Penn told the crowd. “To the ever persistent women’s movement in Afghanistan. We are unequivocally reminded that the freedom to dream is not simply a human luxury, but a human need to be fought and sacrificed for. If the freedom to dream were a spear, I proudly present a human being who tonight represents the sharpest point of that spear.”
Zelenskyy then addressed the audience via recorded message, recalling the start of the Golden Globes in 1944. “The Second World War wasn’t over yet, but the tide was turned, everyone knew who was going to win. There were still battles and tears as the Golden Globes Awards seemed to be honoring the best performers of 1943,” Zelenkyy said. “It is now 2023, the war in Ukraine is not over yet, but the tide is turning. And it’s already clear who will win. There are still fights and tears to come but now I can definitely tell you who was the best last year, it was you. The free people of the free world. Those united in support of the free Ukrainian people in our common struggle for freedom.”
The audience cheered as President Zelenskyy announced his predicted victory.
“There will be no third world war, it’s not a trilogy,” Zelenkyy continued. “Ukraine will stop Russian aggression on our country.”
Penn gave Zelenskyy one of his Oscar trophies as a gift in exchange shared on Twitter by Anton Gerashchenko, Advisor to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. In return, Penn received an Order of Merit recognizing his passionate solidarity with Ukraine.
Penn previously threatened to “melt down” his Oscar statuettes if the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences failed to offer Zelenskyy airtime for last year’s Academy Awards broadcast.
Zelenskyy’s appearance at the Golden Globes comes a week after the White House pledged to send $3.75 billion in military aid to Ukraine and neighboring NATO countries – the largest ever US aid package in the face of the ongoing Russian invasion in Ukraine.
“The war in Ukraine is at a critical juncture right now, and we must do everything we can to help Ukrainians continue to resist Russian aggression,” Laura Cooper, deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia, said in a press release of the US Department of Defense.