Actor Steven Seagal has most recently been in the news in connection to Hollywood’s #MeToo movement, having been accused of alleged sexual harassment and assault, so what better time for Russia to name him a special humanitarian representative between to our two nations? According to CNN, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Seagal’s new role, which the ministry says is akin to a U.N. goodwill ambassador, in the hope that he will help foster collaborations between Russia and the United States “in the sphere of culture, art, public and youth exchanges.â€
Steven Seagal was given Russian citizenship and a Russian passport back in 2016, and has become a personal friend of Vladimir Putin over the years, even attending Putin’s swearing-in ceremony this past May. Last year Seagal was banned from Ukraine for five years for allegedly “committed socially dangerous actions … that contradict the interests of maintaining Ukraine’s security,†likely because of rising tensions between Russia and Ukraine last spring.