On Saturday, Russia appointed actor Steven Seagal as a “special representative” covering U.S.-Russia humanitarian ties, according to the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Facebook page.
The actor will be tasked with an unpaid role similar to one of the goodwill ambassador positions given by the United Nations, and according to the Russian statement, will be asked to promote relations with the United States “in the humanitarian sphere.”
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That’s pretty wild, until you realize that Seagal first became a Russian citizen in 2016 (WTF?!), and has been a very close friend of Vladimir Putin since then, even attending the Russian leader’s swearing-in ceremony a couple months ago in Moscow.
Further, Seagal has been a big supporter of Putin, and continues to defend the Russian government against accusations that they may have meddled in the 2016 presidential election in the United States.
Just like Donald Trump, Seagal has a long-standing history of heaping loads of praise upon Putin, calling him “a great world leader” and “a brilliant tactician” at various points in interviews.
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Regardless, this seems like a relatively benign position. Definitely strange, though.
Beyond the broad opening announcement from Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on this appointment, there’s no word yet on specific events, programs, or outreach channels Seagal will take yet. If something interesting comes up with it, you know we’ll be on it!
[Image via WENN.]
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