Russian President Vladimir Putin has presented a Russian passport to US action movie actor Steven Seagal, saying he hoped it would serve as a symbol of how the fractious ties between Moscow and Washington are starting to improve.

Seagal signed his new passport in front of Mr Putin at a ceremony in the Kremlin.

"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 normalisation of relations between our countries," Mr Putin said.

"You have many friends in our country.

"You have have professional plans, too. Having Russian citizenship makes it easier to communicate with friends and implement those plans."

When Mr Putin then asked how he was doing, the actor replied that "everything is good"

"We will talk later. For now just honoured to be here," Seagal told Mr Putin.

For more than a decade Seagal, 64, has been a regular visitor to Russia and former Soviet-bloc countries.

Seagal films a hit with Russia, Putin

Mr Putin, a fan of the kind of martial arts that Seagal often practises in his Hollywood action movies, signed an order at the start of this month to grant Russian citizenship to Seagal.

At the time, a Kremlin spokesman cited Seagal's "warm feelings towards Russia" and his celebrity as the reasons for granting the gesture.

Seagal has described the Russian President as one of the greatest world leaders and is a fan of Eastern European culture.

His movies, including such titles as Under Siege and Sniper: Special Ops, are popular with Russian audiences.

Seagal is the latest Western celebrity to have been given a Russian passport in the past few years. In 2013, Gerard Depardieu, a French actor, was given citizenship by Mr Putin.

In the past two years, relations between Russia and Washington have deteriorated to their worst level since the Cold War as a result of the armed conflicts in Ukraine and Syria, where Moscow and Washington backed opposing sides.

Mr Putin has expressed hope that, with the election of Donald Trump as the next US president, relations will improve.

Mr Putin has praised Mr Trump's personal qualities, and the US President-elect has said he wants friendly ties.

Reuters