Russia appoints actor Steven Segal special representative for US-Russia ties

According to the statement, the role of the Hollywood star will be to promote US-Russia relations, “in the humanitarian sphere”, adding that the role will include co-operation “in the sphere of culture, public exchange and youth”.

The foreign ministry said the unpaid role would be similar to that of the UN's ambassador of goodwill.

Seagal, who became a Russian citizen in 2016, is a close friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin. He attended Putin's inauguration ceremony in May.

Seagal has been a staunch supporter of Putin, going as far as to protect his government against charges of election intervention in the United States. He told Piers Morgan in “Good Morning Britain” of the British ITV network in the past year that “if someone thinks Vladimir Putin has anything to do with election fixing, or even that the Russians have that kind of technology, it's stupid”

And this kind of propaganda is really a deviation... so people in the United States of America won't really see what's going on, he added.

In the interview, Seagal also praised Putin as “a major world leader” and a excellent “strateg”.

In 2013, BuzFeed reported that Putin suggested to President Barack Obama that Seagal serve as an envoy of Russia's honour to help improve relations between the two countries. That same year, Republic of California Republican Dana Rohrabacher met Seagal with relief meetings for a delegation of Congress visiting Russia following the bombings of the Boston Marathon to investigate suspects' background and discuss intelligence exchange issues, CNN reports.