Overview

• Penn told Jimmy Kimmel on Sept. 11 that he initially found Putin genuine, saying he now believes he was misled.
• He placed the dinner roughly weeks after George W. Bush’s comment about trusting Putin, noting how his own view mirrored that early sentiment.
• Recalling a Moscow International Film Festival dinner with about 20 people, he said he and Jack Nicholson spoke with Putin about fatherhood.
• Penn said they used an interpreter but claimed Putin understands more English than he lets on, calling that a carryover from his KGB past.
• Linking his reassessment to Ukraine, he alleged Putin’s responsibility for mass abductions and killings, urged greater U.S. support, and cited his 2023 documentary SUPERPOWER and his 2022 Russian entry ban.