Putin just presented American actor Steven Seagal with a Russian passport

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MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday presented a Russian passport to U.S. actor Steven Seagal, and said he hoped it would serve as a symbol of how the fractious ties between Moscow and Washington are starting to improve.

At a ceremony where Seagal signed his new passport in front of Putin, the Russian leader said: "I want to congratulate you and express the hope that this is another, albeit small, gesture and it might be a sign of the gradual normalization of relations between our countries."

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