The 44-year-old politician and presidential chief of staff Andriy Yermak, 50, met the American screen star, 45, behind closed doors in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Sunday.
President Zelenskyy thanked Jessica and similar Hollywood stars for visiting Ukraine amid the war in a statement shared on the Telegram messaging service after the meeting: “American actress Jessica Chastain is in Ukraine today. For us such celebrity visits are extremely valuable.
Gratitude: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, 44, praised actress Jessica Chastain, 45, for helping his country amid the nation’s ongoing conflict with Russia
“Thanks to this, the world will hear, know and understand the truth about what is happening in our country even more.”
While in Kyiv, Jessica visited the Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital to meet the young people being treated from the war-torn cities of Kherson and Chernihiv, before traveling to the city of Irpin.
In June, Ukraine thanked Hollywood A-list guests Ben Stiller, Sean Penn, Liev Schreiber and Angelina Jolie for visiting the war-torn country during Russia’s brutal invasion.
Talk: The politician met the American screen star behind closed doors in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev on Sunday
Meeting: Head of Presidential Administration Andrii Yermak (left) and other government officials attended the meeting
Statement: President Zelenskyy thanked Jessica and similar Hollywood stars for visiting Ukraine amid war in a statement on Sunday
The Ministry of Defense said in a tweet that the country was “grateful to the Hollywood stars who, despite the danger, visited us”.
A statement read: “You are more than just an inspiration to us all. Millions around the world have heard the truth from you about the struggle of the Ukrainian people.’
Angelina is a special envoy for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and visited Ukraine in April where she met with volunteers and refugees.
Support: Ukraine previously thanked Hollywood A-listers Ben Stiller, Sean Penn, Liev Schreiber and Angelina Jolie for visiting the war-torn country during Russia’s brutal invasion
Sean was in the country when the war broke out and was making a documentary about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s brutal invasion.
The actor also held a benefit concert, raising £2 million for war victims.
Spotlight star Liev helped found a network of support and verification of grassroots organizations helping Ukraine.
Speaking out: Hollywood star Ben Stiller said “seeking safety is a right and must be respected for every person” during a visit to Ukraine in June
Ben was one of the latest celebrities to make a visit where he met with President Volodymr Zelenskyy in June.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24 in what President Vladimir Putin called a “special military operation,” the conflict has devolved into a war of attrition fought largely in eastern and southern Ukraine.
Fighting over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, seized by Russian forces early in the war but still run by Ukrainian technicians, has raised the prospect of a wider disaster.
Visit: Sean Penn seen in Kraków, Poland, signing an agreement with authorities to help Ukrainian refugees as he helps victims of war (pictured in March)
Shells hit a high-voltage power line at the facility on Friday, forcing its operators to shut down a reactor to prevent a possible radioactive leak.
Another shelling yesterday hit a warehouse at the plant said to contain nuclear waste and injured a worker.
The United States has accused Russia of using the facility as a “nuclear shield” by moving large quantities of troops, ammunition and military equipment to the region, knowing that Ukraine’s armed forces are highly unlikely to launch an attack on its own power plant, particularly with the impending threat of nuclear destruction.
Ukraine visit: UNHCR Special Envoy for Refugees Angelina Jolie pictured with children in Lviv as she visited the country in April
Work: Actor Liev Schreiber remarked during an interview at Ukraine House in Davos in May after co-founding an organization to help war charities
Russia is trying to gain control of the predominantly Russian-speaking region of Donbass in the east, made up of Luhansk and Donetsk provinces, where pro-Moscow separatists seized territory after the Kremlin annexed Crimea in 2014.
Ukraine’s military said late Saturday that Russian forces had shelled dozens of front-line towns and were trying to attack six different areas in the Donetsk region, although they were having trouble gaining ground.
Zelensky said last week his forces “achieved strong results” in destroying Russia’s logistics supplies and rear bases.
Late: A high-voltage power line was damaged at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on Friday, forcing its operators to shut down a reactor to prevent a possible radioactive leak
“Every strike on the enemy’s ammunition depots, command posts and stockpiles of Russian equipment saves the lives of all of us, the lives of Ukrainian servicemen and civilians,” he said in a midnight video address.
British military intelligence had earlier indicated that Russian forces were almost certainly massing in the south, anticipating a counter-attack or preparing an attack, and the war was about to enter a new phase, with most of the fighting shifting to a length of nearly 220 miles. front from near Zaporizhzhia to Kherson, parallel to the Dnieper River.
Ukrainian forces have been focusing on hitting bridges, ammunition depots and rail links with increasing frequency in its southern regions, including the strategically important rail route linking Kherson with Russian-held Crimea.
War: A soldier with a Russian flag on his uniform stands guard near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant during the Ukraine-Russia conflict
