|
President Vladimir Putin presented a Russian
passport to U.S. actor Steven Seagal in 2016, saying he hoped it
would serve as a symbol of how fractious ties between Moscow and
Washington were starting to improve.
Since then, U.S.-Russia relations have only got worse however
with U.S. intelligence agencies accusing Moscow of interfering
in Donald Trump's White House run, an allegation Russia denies.
The two countries are also at odds over Syria and Ukraine.
The Russian Foreign Ministry likened Seagal's new role to that
of a U.N. goodwill ambassador and said that the actor, who is
known for his martial arts prowess, would receive no salary.
"It's a case of people's diplomacy intersecting with traditional
diplomacy," the ministry said.
Seagal, who sometimes appears on Russian state TV to talk about
his views and career, was cited by Kremlin-backed TV station RT
as welcoming the appointment.
"I've always had a very strong desire to do all I can to help
improve Russian-American relations," RT cited Seagal as saying.
"I have worked tirelessly in this direction for many years
unofficially and I am now very grateful for the opportunity to
do the same thing officially."
For more than a decade Seagal, who according to his own website
is 66, has been a regular visitor to Russia. His movies,
including such titles as "Under Siege" and "Sniper: Special
Ops," are popular with Russian audiences.
President Putin is also a fan of the kind of martial arts that
Seagal often practiced in his Hollywood action movies.
(Reporting by Maria Kiselyova; Editing by Andrew Osborn)
[© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2017 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
 |
|
