Bizarre News of the Day: Russia Appoints Action Star Steven Seagal as US Envoy

What weird times we live in.

The action-movie star Steven Seagal has played a former C.I.A. agent, a hit man and a killer of criminals. On Saturday, Russian officials tapped him for another role: special representative to improve relations between the United States and Russia.

The Russian Foreign Ministry announced the appointment on Facebook, saying his mission will include promoting “relations between Russia and the United States in the humanitarian field, including cooperation in culture, arts, public and youth exchanges.”

The position is unpaid, said Russian officials, who compared the role to that of a United Nations good-will ambassador — a distinguished volunteer who calls attention to the work of the United Nations.

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In a tweet on Sunday, Mr. Seagal said that he was “deeply humbled and honoured” by the appointment. “I hope we can strive for peace, harmony and positive results in the world,” he said. “I take this honour very seriously.”

Mr. Seagal, who occasionally appears on Russian state television, said he welcomed the appointment, Reuters reported.

“I’ve always had a very strong desire to do all I can to help improve Russian-American relations,” he told the Kremlin-backed television station RT. “I have worked tirelessly in this direction for many years unofficially and I am now very grateful for the opportunity to do the same thing officially.”

But this is no surprise. Seagal went all Dennis Rodman on us years ago, leading to him being granted Russian citizenship back in 2016.

Then there’s this:

Over 25 years ago, he was married to the Lady in Red. And it seems red is still his color.

Meanwhile, the reactions to this latest news have been about as brutal as his movies.

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