Actor Sean Penn reflected on meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in a Thursday interview with late night host Jimmy Kimmel amid rising tensions in Eastern Europe.

The two crossed paths during the Moscow International Film Festival in 2001 during a dinner with approximately 20 people, including actor Jack Nicholson.

“I can time-capsule it for you because it was approximately two or three weeks after then-President Bush said, 'I looked into his eyes and I felt like I trusted him.' And I have to say, when I say that, I was conned also,” Penn said during the Thursday episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”

“I felt that there was something genuine there," he continued.

The actor said after over three years of war in Ukraine, his opinion of the Kremlin leader has changed.

“Now, we know that he

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