Russian President Vladimir Putin phoned
Sir Elton John on Thursday, just days after two men pranked the
singer into believing that Putin had reached out to him to discuss
LGBT rights.
Soon after John said in an interview
with the BBC from Ukraine that he would like to meet with Putin, the
openly gay John thanked the Russian leader for reaching out to him in
an Instagram post.
Vladimir Krasnov and Alexey Stolyarov,
who are known for playing pranks on celebrities, later came forward
on Russian media to take responsibility for the hoax.
According to the BBC, the Kremlin has
confirmed that Putin reached out to John and is prepared to discuss
“any issues of interest” to the singer.
John had previously said that he would
like to meet with Putin to discuss gay rights.
“I would like to meet [Putin],”
John told the BBC. “It's probably pie in the sky … He may laugh
behind my back when he shuts the door and call me an absolute idiot,
but at least I can think I have the conscience to say I tried.”
John, who is extremely popular in
Russia, said that he would tell Putin to “be accepting” and don't
“be prejudiced against gay people.”