Action star and friend of Vladimir Putin has made several visits to Serbia, meeting with president and prime minister and saying he feels like a Serb

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Serbia has granted citizenship to American action hero Steven Seagal, state television reported Monday, after he offered to set up a martial arts school in Belgrade.

The decision, announced in the official state gazette, came after the veteran actor and producer made two recent visits to Serbia, praising its populist leadership and saying he feels like a Serb.

The star of Under Siege and Above the Law visited the capital twice in December and was received by President Tomislav Nikolic and Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic.

At the time, Seagal said he would do “everything possible to promote Serbia” worldwide and expressed a wish to establish an Aikido school in the capital city, according to a government statement.

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During one visit, Seagal was asked to train Serbian special police forces in Aikido, a Japanese martial art that he has displayed in his blockbuster movies.

His visits were sponsored by a pro-Russian Serb group.



A friend of Russian president Vladimir Putin, Seagal has in the past promoted sports for Russian schoolchildren and said he would not rule out eventually seeking Russian citizenship.

Serbia has officially sought EU membership but has been struggling to overcome strong opposition from pro-Kremlin nationalists.