Russian President Vladimir Putin is reportedly pulling out all the stops to improve his relationship with the United States by naming American action film star Steven Seagal as Russia’s “special envoy for humanitarian ties with the United States.”
Steven Seagal @sseagalofficial, who is a Russian citizen, has been appointed as a special representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry @mfa_russia in charge of the #RussiaUS humanitarian ties
https://t.co/JxYrEdqoig pic.twitter.com/9Mo6CDxLF7
— Russia in USA (@RusEmbUSA) August 4, 2018
According to the Russian foreign ministry, Seagal will not be paid to hold the position, which has been likened to that of a United Nations ambassador. A translation of his responsibilities from the group’s Facebook page says that his work on behalf of Russia will include efforts to “facilitate relations between Russia and the United States in the humanitarian field, including cooperation in culture, arts, public and youth exchanges.”
Seagal, who was famously granted Russian citizenship in 2016, has often defended Putin and his policies — and for security reasons, has been barred from entering Ukraine for five years.
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