Actor Steven Seagal spoke out on Monday about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, blaming the war on an 'outside entity' trying to trigger unrest.
"Most of us have friends and family in Russia and Ukraine," he told Fox News Digital . "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," he added.
The 69-year old action star, whose father was a Jew of Russian descent, was banned from Ukraine in 2017 after he received Russian citizenship the year before in a ceremony presided over by President Vladimir Putin. The move by Ukraine was said to be under a rule that barred anyone from entering the country who has been deemed to have committed a “socially dangerous act, irrespective of the territory of its commission, which is contrary to the interests of ensuring the security of Ukraine.”
Seagal visited Crimea shortly after it was annexed by Russia in the spring of 2014. The actor, who is also a musician, performed in Sevastopol. Under Ukrainian law, visitors to Russian-controlled Crimea are committing a felony unless they receive permission from Ukraine’s government.
In November of 2016, Putin presented Seagal with a Russian passport at a news conference at the Kremlin in Moscow, calling him “one of Russia’s many friends.”
Seagal, a martial artist like Putin, has in the past accompanied the Russian leader to martial arts tournaments. He has also been a regular visitor to Russia in the last decade.