Vladimir Putin has personally presented US actor Steven Seagal with a Russian passport, saying the event was a sign of a thaw in relations with the US.
The 64-year old actor has been a regular visitor to Russia in recent years and has accompanied Mr Putin to several martial arts events.
Seagal has also defended the Russian president’s policies and criticised the US government.
After awarding Seagal Russian citizenship through a presidential decree earlier this month, Mr Putin hosted the actor at the Kremlin and handed him the passport.
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Mr Putin told Seagal he hopes the ceremony, shown on Russian state television, is “also a sign of a gradual normalisation of the relations between the countries”.
AP