Volodymyr Zelenskyy tells Golden Globes attendees Ukraine will win its war with Russia

By Scottie Andrew, CNN

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appeared in a video message during the Golden Globes telecast to thank his allies in the “free world.”

Sean Penn introduced the Ukrainian comedian-turned-politician with nods to ongoing protests in Iran, during which several citizens have been executed, and the women’s rights movement in Afghanistan. The Oscar winner previously met with Zelenskyy in Kyiv and gifted him one of his Academy Awards, asking the president to return it when the war ends.

Zelenskyy told the Hollywood crowd that the “war in Ukraine is not over yet, but the tide is turning, and it is already clear who will win,” to some applause.

“There are still battles and tears ahead,” Zelenskyy said in a recorded message. “But now I can tell you who was the best in the previous year — you in the free world, who united around support of free Ukrainian people.”

Zelenskyy recalled the Golden Globes of the early 1940s, before World War II had ended. “There will be no third world war,” he said. “It’s not a trilogy.”

Zelenskyy has previously appeared virtually at the Cannes Film Festival and the Grammy Awards to discuss the ongoing conflict and thank those in the entertainment industry who’ve raised awareness of it. Some honorees at the 2022 Screen Actors Guild Awards also namedropped him as an example of a courageous leader.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.