
Belarusan President Alexander Lukashenko welcomed Steven Seagal with a carrot and two watermelons on Thursday during the former action-star’s visit to the strongman’s Minsk residence.
“Eat to your health, it’s very good for you,” said Lukashenko, before Seagal heartily chomped into the freshly peeled carrot.
This is Seagal’s first visit to see Lukashenko, a person he has “long dreamed of meeting,” Belarusan presidential spokeswoman told the Washington Post.
Seagal, who has family links to Belarus and Russia, has visited leaders from former Soviet states in the past, including Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin— whom Seagal endorsed following Putin’s 2014 annexation of Crimea.
Lukashenko won his fifth term as President last October, having ruled the country since 1994.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Cybersecurity Experts Are Sounding the Alarm on DOGE
- Meet the 2025 Women of the Year
- The Harsh Truth About Disability Inclusion
- Why Do More Young Adults Have Cancer?
- Colman Domingo Leads With Radical Love
- How to Get Better at Doing Things Alone
- Michelle Zauner Stares Down the Darkness
Contact us at letters@time.com