President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree granting Russian citizenship to Hollywood actor and martial arts expert, Steven Seagal, the Kremlin said on its website on Thursday.
Seagal mentioned the possibility of obtaining a Russian passport during his visit to a film festival on the Far Eastern island of Sakhalin in September.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the actor was persistently seeking Russian citizenship and "is really known for his warm feelings towards Russia."
"He has never hidden it," Peskov said. "He is also a rather famous actor, which does establish grounds to grant him Russian citizenship."
"I always felt that USA and Russia should be best friends and allies. Despite the unfortunate propaganda going on I remain fully committed to work tirelessly towards this end and I am tremendously grateful for this opportunity," Seagal noted.
"My father was pure Russian, my father’s family is primarily from Vladivostok. However, I have family from Siberia, Saint Petersburg and even Belarus. I have a tremendous amount of friends and family in Russia and former Soviet regions. I have huge respect and affection for Russia. As well as my own country," Seagal’s statement said.
Steven Seagal was born in 1952 in Michigan, the US. He has so far starred in more than 120 movies most of which are martial arts action films.
За всеми важными новостями следите в MAX, Telegram, во «ВКонтакте», «Одноклассниках», YouTube и на Rutube
