video transcript
President Vladmir Putin offers a warm greeting to a new high-profile Russian citizen.
The Russian leader has granted citizenship to French actor Gerard Depardieu following a tax dispute in his home country.
Depardieu objects to socialist president Francois Hollande's plan to impose a 75 percent tax rate on euro millionaires.
The actor is popular in Russia and has appeared in ad campaigns there.
After offering him a Russian passport last month, Putin hosted the actor over the weekend at the Black Sea resort of Sochi where the president was spending part of the holidays.
Russia has a flat-rate income tax of 13 percent.
Putin gives Depardieu hug and passport (0:44)
Jan 6. - President Vladimir Putin welcomes French actor Gerard Depardieu as he becomes a Russian citizen following objections to a tax plan for the rich in his own country. Lindsey Parietti reports. ( Transcript )