Putin presents Russian passport to Hollywood actor Seagal

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 normalisation of relations between our countries." (Reporting by Christian Lowe; Editing by Vladimir Soldatkin)