Sean Penn arrives in Ukraine to film documentary on Russian invasion

Sean Penn has arrived in Kyiv to film a documentary about the escalating conflict in Ukraine.

On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with the Hollywood actor, who is believed to be making the film for VICE.

"American actor and film director, Oscar winner Sean Penn arrived in Ukraine," read a translated statement from the Office of the President of Ukraine’s Facebook page. "The director came to Kyiv specifically to record all the events taking place in Ukraine as a documentary filmmaker and to tell the world the truth about Russia's invasion of our country."

"Today, Sean Penn is among those who support Ukraine in Ukraine," the statement read. "Our country is grateful to him for such a display of courage and honesty. This morning, the director visited the Office of the President and attended a press briefing by Iryna Vereshchuk, Adviser to the Head of the Office of the Head of State and Vice Prime Minister - Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine. He talked to journalists, to our military, saw how we defend our country."

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"Sean Penn demonstrates the courage that many others, including Western politicians, lack," the statement continued. "The more such people in our country now, true friends of Ukraine, who support the struggle for freedom, the sooner it will be possible to stop Russia's treacherous attack."

"The director has already arrived in Ukraine in November 2021," the statement concluded. "As part of the preparation of the documentary, he visited the Azov region and talked with the Ukrainian military."

A spokesperson for the 61-year-old, as well as the Ukrainian embassy, didn’t immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.

Penn was photographed attending a press briefing at the presidential office. He also met with Ukrainian presidential adviser Alexander Rodnyansky on Tuesday night before the conflict escalated.

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"On a slightly more positive note today in spite of the political and military situation: Exciting, fun and captivating conversation over dinner with @SeanPenn, who came to #Kyiv at this critical moment. #StandWithUkraine," he tweeted.

An Instagram account for Zelenskyy showed a video via Instagram Story of the 44-year-old having a discussion with Penn. It had a caption that read: "The more people know about the war in the Ukraine, the higher the likelihood of stopping Russia!"

Photos from Penn's visit have been shared on Twitter.

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In 2017, actress Kate del Castillo released a three-part docuseries titled "The Day I Met El Chapo" for Netflix. The documentary told the 49-year-old’s version of events surrounding a 2015 meeting with Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, a Mexican drug lord who at the time was hiding from authorities.

When del Castillo met with Guzman, she said it was with the intent to make a film about his life. She brought along two film producers and Penn, who went on to write an article for Rolling Stone about the encounter. The pair later clashed over their accounts of what happened.

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Thursday, unleashing airstrikes on cities and military bases and sending troops and tanks from multiple directions in a move that could rewrite the world’s geopolitical landscape. Ukraine’s government pleaded for help as civilians piled into trains and cars to flee.

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President Vladimir Putin ignored global condemnation and cascading new sanctions as he unleashed the largest ground war in Europe in decades, and chillingly referred to his country’s nuclear arsenal. He threatened any foreign country trying to interfere with "consequences you have never seen."

Ukrainian officials said their forces were battling Russians on multiple fronts and had lost control of the decommissioned Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the scene of the world’s worst nuclear disaster.

"Russia has embarked on a path of evil, but Ukraine is defending itself and won’t give up its freedom," Zelenskyy tweeted.

Later, he offered Russia an end to the hostilities.

"It wasn’t Ukraine that chose the path of war, but Ukraine is offering to go back to the path of peace," he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report