Russia has appointed Hollywood actor Steven Seagal as
an envoy between Washington and Moscow, the Foreign Ministry
announced on its Facebook page on Saturday.
The martial arts expert and action movie star has been a Russian
citizen since 2016 and is an outspoken supporter of President
Vladimir Putin.
The 66-year-old's task as a "special representative for
Russian-US humanitarian ties" is to "facilitate relations between
Russia and the United States in the humanitarian field, including
cooperation in culture, arts, public and youth exchanges, and so
on," the foreign ministry said in its announcement.
The post is unpaid and is comparable to the role of UN goodwill
ambassadors, where "people's diplomacy meets with traditional
diplomacy," the announcement added.
Putin and Seagal share a love of martial arts, and have appeared at
several demonstrations together.
Seagal was issued Russian citizenship in a presidential decree from
Putin.