Steven Seagal hugs Putin again while accepting Russian honor

Actor Steven Seagal was awarded the Order of Russian Friendship on Thursday during a ceremony at the Kremlin, where he used the opportunity to make controversial statements about the war in Ukraine.

While accepting the honor and reading a statement on his phone, Seagal said that before the war, “Ukraine was known for human trafficking, organ trafficking, drug trafficking, child sexual abuse, biochemical warfare laboratories, fascism and Nazism.

He then denounced the support of the United States and other Western countries for Ukraine and said tensions could lead to “World War III,” HuffPost reported.

Video footage of his comments was shared online on Thursday, with many noting that his words appeared to echo the exact agenda championed by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Putin presented the award to the 72-year-old actor to honor his “great contribution to the development of international cultural and humanitarian cooperation,” he said at the ceremony.

The relationship between Seagal and Putin dates back several years. In 2016, Putin personally presented him with a Russian passport, and two years later appointed him as a special representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Earlier this month, Seagal traveled to Moscow to attend Putin's inauguration ceremony for his fifth term.

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