Steven Seagal Celebrates His 70th Birthday In Moscow and Praises Putin as a ‘Great World Leader’
Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images
One-time Hollywood action star Steven Seagal praised Russian President Vladimir Putin at a Moscow restaurant over the weekend, where Putin’s allies had gathered to celebrate the actor’s 70th birthday.
The Under Siege star hailed Putin as a “great world leader” and called Putin’s allies his “family” and “friends,” according to a report in The Times. Seagal’s comments come a day after President Joe Biden accused Putin of committing “genocide” in Ukraine as Russia’s brutal invasion of the country continues.
Video from the event quickly reached social media and Seagal can be heard telling the Russian crowd in the restaurant that “each and everyone one of you, you are my family and my friends. And I love all of you and we stand together, through thick and through thin.”
Steven Seagal giving a moving speech to Kremlin’s top propagandists and warmongers against Ukraine Tigran Keisayan and Vladimir Soloviev. Lukashenko’s carrots are doing their job. #stevenseagal pic.twitter.com/OpSxg4UDU7
— Michael Sender (@MichaelSender) April 12, 2022
The Times reported that RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan and Vladimir Solovyov, a Russian state television host, who is under sanctions, were both present at the event.
Seagal’s affinity for Putin is well known and he was granted Russian citizenship by Putin in 2016. NPR reported at the time on the bond between the two men:
Putin and Seagal share a passion for martial arts: Seagal is an expert in aikido, and Putin is an expert in judo. They’ve appeared together at martial arts demonstrations and official events, including last year’s Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.
In March, Seagal told Fox News that Ukraine and Russia are “one family” and called for peace between the two countries.
“Most of us have friends and family in Russia and Ukraine,” he said.
“I look at both as one family and really believe it is an outside entity spending huge sums of money on propaganda to provoke the two countries to be at odds with each other,” he concluded.
