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March 28, 2014 9:15 pm - NewsBehavingBadly.com

Steven Seagal says his pal Vladimir Putin is “one of the greatest world leaders.”

Speaking to the state-run newspaper Rossiskaya Gazeta, in comments first noted by the Moscow Times, Seagal described western policy on Ukraine as “idiotic”. He said Putin’s desire “to protect the Russian-speaking people of Crimea, his assets, and the Russian Black Sea military base in Sevastopol … [was] very reasonable”.

The 61-year-old actor and martial artist, who is currently filming an action movie in Romania, also said that media coverage of US opposition to Putin’s actions was designed to promote the agenda of President Barack Obama.

Yes, and most of the civilized world.

Seagal, a Republican who has mentioned an interest in running for office in the past, also said that he would consider following in the footsteps of French actor Gérard Depardieu by taking Russian citizenship.

Seagal and Putin are said to have bonded over a shared interest in martial arts. The actor, who recently helped Russia’s government relaunch a nationwide fitness programme which had been dormant since the Soviet era, said he considered the president as “a brother”.

D.B. Hirsch
D.B. Hirsch is a political activist, news junkie, and retired ad copy writer and spin doctor. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.