Russia is asking Steven Seagal to help advance US relations

Louie Villalobos | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Steven Seagal gets Russian citizenship from Putin Russian President Vladimir Putin has awarded Russian citizenship to action film actor Steven Seagal.

Actor Steven Seagal has been named a special representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to focus on humanitarian issues with the United States.

An announcement by the Russian Foreign Ministry on Facebook said Seagal will be tasked with furthering "Russian-American relations."

It's unclear how he will go about accomplishing that goal. Seagal was given Russian citizenship in 2016.

Fast forward to 2018, and we have an alleged Russian spy with apparent ties to a Donald Trump campaigner in the news and the U.S. Intelligence Community repeatedly stating that Russia interfered with the 2016 presidential election.

The appointment is unpaid and will focus on "culture, arts, public and youth exchanges," according to the Facebook post.

Seagal has vocally defended the Russian leader's policies, including Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea, and has criticized the U.S. government.

Last year, Ukraine banned Seagal from entering the country for five years, citing national security reasons.

Contributing: Associated Press