Putin and Steven Seagal crank up bromance as actor granted Russian citizenship

Nicole Morley

Published November 3, 2016 3:26pm Updated December 11, 2019 5:28pm

FILE - In this file photo taken on Wednesday, March 13, 2013, Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and U.S. movie actor Steven Seagal visit a new sports arena in Moscow, Russia. file photo, Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, speaks with U.S. actor Steven Seagal in the Russian Far Eastern port of Vladivostok. Russian President Vladimir Putin has awarded Russian citizenship to action film actor Steven Seagal, the Kremlin said Thursday. Nov. 3, 2016. øThe 64-year-old Seagal has been a regular visitor to Russia in recent years and has accompanied Putin to several martial arts events, as well as vocally defending the Russian leader's policies and criticizing the U.S. government. (Alexei Nikolsky/Sputnik, Kremlin File Pool Photo via AP, File) — Russian President Vladimir Putin, and action star Steven Seagal (Picture: AP/Kremlin)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has cranked up his bromance with macho action star Steven Seagal.

Ku Klux Klan newspaper endorses Donald Trump for President

Putin has awarded Russian citizenship to the Under Seige star.

Here’s the Russian leader smiling as the Hollywood action A-lister wraps his arm around him.

Aww, Seagal is obviously very touched by the whole thing.

FILE - In this Sept. 4, 2015, file photo, Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, speaks with U.S. actor Steven Seagal in the Russian Far Eastern port of Vladivostok. Russian President Vladimir Putin has awarded Russian citizenship to action film actor Steven Seagal. Putin has awarded Russian citizenship to action film actor Seagal. The 64-year-old Seagal has been a regular visitor to Russia in recent years and has accompanied Putin to several martial arts events, as well as vocally defending the Russian leader's policies. (Alexei Druzhinin/RIA-Novosti, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) — Steven Seagal has been granted Russain citizenship (Picture: AP/Kremlin)

Russia's President Vladimir Putin and American action movie actor Steven Seagal (L) meet children as they visit a newly-built sports complex of Sambo-70 prominent wrestling school in Moscow. Putin teamed up today with Steven Seagal to promote the Soviet-style regime of rigorous physical training for schoolchildren. Sambo is the official in-house martial art of the KGB security services which Putin practiced before switching to judo. AFP PHOTO/ RIA-NOVOSTI/ POOL / ALEXEI NIKOLSKY (Photo credit should read ALEXEI NIKOLSKY/AFP/Getty Images) — Their eyes met across the crowd (Picture: Getty)

Seagal, 64, has been a regular visitor to Russia in recent years. He has accompanied Putin to several martial arts events, as well as vocally defending the Russian leader’s policies.

Man sticks fingers up at road safety camera – gets ban and £300 fine

Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Thursday that Seagal ‘has been insistent for a long time in asking to be granted Russian citizenship.’

He added that Seagal ‘is known for his warm feelings to our country, he never made a secret of it, and he’s also a well-known actor, which gave grounds to make him a Russian citizen.’

Other foreign celebrities to be awarded Russian nationality by the Kremlin in recent years are French actor Gerard Depardieu and U.S. boxer Roy Jones Jr.