Steven Seagal banned from Ukraine

MINSK, Belarus (AP):

Ukraine has banned action film actor Steven Seagal from entering the country for five years.

Seagal, an American, was given Russian citizenship by President Vladimir Putin last year in a ceremony shown on state television.

He has vocally defended the Russian leader's policies and criticised the US government.

A statement from the Ukrainian Security Service said Seagal's entry was banned "on the basis of Ukrainian national security." It did not elaborate.