Steven Seagal has stated that he will support Russian President Vladimir Putin’s close allies “through thick and thin.”

Steven has lauded Russian President Vladimir Putin in the past, describing him as the “greatest world leader.” At his 70th birthday celebration, the actor assembled Putin’s friends and told them, “I love you all.”

On Sunday, the star of many Hollywood action blockbusters, including Under Siege, attended a luncheon in Moscow in his honor on 10 April.

Allies at the event were Russian state TV host Vladimir Soleviev and Russian journalist Margarita Simonyan, both of whom were placed on an EU sanctions list in response to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, according to The Times.

In a now-leaked video on Twitter, Seagal can be seen calling everyone in the room “my family and my friends.”

He made a toast and remarked, “It’s lovely to have you here with me.”

“I love all of you and we stand together, through thick and thin.”

Image: RIA NOVOSTI/AFP via Getty Images

As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine approaches its sixth week, Seagal praises Putin. Seagal told Fox News Digital in March that he considers Russia and Ukraine to be “one family.”

He added at the time, “Most of us have friends and family in Russia and Ukraine. I look at both of them as a family and truly believe it is an outside entity that spends huge sums of money on propaganda to provoke the two countries into conflict with each other.”

“My prayers are that both countries reach a positive and peaceful resolution where we can live and prosper together in peace,” Seagal concluded.

In 2018, Russia selected the actor as a special envoy to enhance relations with the United States.

Seagal will “facilitate relations between Russia and the United States in the humanitarian field, including cooperation in culture, arts, public and youth exchanges,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

After expressing his support for the takeover of Crimea in 2014, the 70-year-old was issued a Russian passport in 2016.

Steven described the move as “very reasonable” at the time.

As violence between Russian separatists and Ukrainian soldiers worsened in eastern Ukraine, Ukraine prevented Seagal from entering the country after he got his Russian citizenship in 2017.