Steven Seagal said he will stand by the close allies of Russian president Vladimir Putin 'through thick and thin'.
The Hollywood star reportedly reiterated his support for Putin and his allies at a party in Moscow for his 70th birthday.
The Under Siege actor attended a dinner held in his honour at a restaurant in Moscow on Sunday.
The allies present at the event included Russian state TV host Vladimir Soleviev and Russian journalist Margarita Simonyan, both of whom have been placed on an EU sanctions list in response to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, according to The Times.
Seagal, who previously called Putin 'one of the greatest world leaders, if not the greatest world leader, alive today', could be seen calling everyone in the room 'my family and my friends' in a now leaked video on Twitter.
"I love all of you and we stand together, through thick and through thin," the actor gushed.
The Hollywood star's Seagal’s praise of Putin comes as Russia ’s invasion of Ukraine moves into its sixth week.
The 70-year-old was granted a Russian passport in 2016 after making his support for the annexation of Crimea in 2014 clear.
He was also made Russia's special envoy to the US in 2018.
Seagal and Putin are believed to have initially bonded over their mutual love of martial arts.
Back in In February, the actor told Fox News that propaganda from an 'outside entity' pitted Russia and Ukraine against each other.
He also insisted that he looks at both Russia and Ukraine 'as one family'.
"Most of us have friends and family in Russia and Ukraine," he said.
"I look at both as one family and really believe it is an outside entity spending huge sums of money on propaganda to provoke the two countries to be at odds with each other.
“My prayers are that both countries will come to a positive, peaceful resolution where we can live and thrive together in peace,” Seagal added.
