Russia has appointed action movie star Steven Seagal as a special envoy for humanitarian ties with the United States.
The Foreign Ministry announced the move Saturday on its Facebook page.
The statement reads that Seagal's portfolio in the unpaid position would be to 'facilitate relations between Russia and the United States in the humanitarian field, including cooperation in culture, arts, public and youth exchanges.'
Seagal is an accomplished martial artist — like Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The actor, who was granted Russian citizenship in 2016, has vocally defended the Russian leader's policies, including Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea, and has criticized the U.S. government.
Putin personally presented a Russian passport to U.S. actor, saying he hoped it would serve as a symbol of how fractious ties between Moscow and Washington were starting to improve.
Since then, U.S.-Russia relations have only got worse however with U.S. intelligence agencies accusing Moscow of interfering in Donald Trump's White House run, an allegation Russia denies. The two countries are also at odds over Syria and Ukraine.
The Russian Foreign Ministry likened Seagal's new role to that of a U.N. goodwill ambassador and said that the actor would receive no salary.
'It's a case of people's diplomacy intersecting with traditional diplomacy,' the ministry said.
Seagal, who sometimes appears on Russian state TV to talk about his views and career, was cited by Kremlin-backed TV station RT as welcoming the appointment.
'I've always had a very strong desire to do all I can to help improve Russian-American relations,' RT cited Seagal as saying. 'I have worked tirelessly in this direction for many years unofficially and I am now very grateful for the opportunity to do the same thing officially.'
For more than a decade Seagal, who according to his own website is 66, has been a regular visitor to Russia. His movies, including such titles as 'Under Siege' and 'Sniper: Special Ops,' are popular with Russian audiences.
President Putin is also a fan of the kind of martial arts that Seagal often practiced in his Hollywood action movies.
Last year, Ukraine banned Seagal from entering the country for five years, citing national security reasons.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
