Steven Seagal gets Russian passport from Putin

Hollywood actor Steven Siegal was recently presented a Russian passport by the country's President Vladimir Putin in a show of 'friendly relations' with the U.S.

The 64-year-old actor and martial artist signed his passport at a Kremlin ceremony in front of Putin, who hoped it would serve as a symbol of how tense ties between Moscow and Washington D.C. were starting to improve, reports People magazine.

"I want to congratulate you and express the hope that this is another, albeit small, gesture and it might be a sign of the gradual normalization of relations between our countries," Putin said.

President Putin then asked the actor how he was doing, to which Seagal responded, "Everything is good. We will talk later. For now, just honored to be here."

Reportedly, the President, who has long been a fan of the martial arts that Seagal has showcased in his action films, signed the order to grant the actor with Russian citizenship in early November.

While Seagal has been a regular visitor to Russia for more than a decade, his films 'Under Siege' and 'Sniper: Special Ops' are reportedly quite popular among the Russian audiences.