Out British singer Elton John won't
meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow next week to
discuss gay rights.
According to a statement given to the
AP, Putin won't be able to make the meeting due to a scheduling
conflict.
“President Putin expressed readiness
for this meeting,” said Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. “But this
time, the meeting won't take place, unfortunately – their schedules
do not match up. But this does not mean that such a meeting won't
take place next time.”
John suggested meeting Putin during a
September interview with the BBC from Ukraine. His comments led to
two men pranking the singer into believing that Putin had reached out
to him to discuss LGBT rights.
In November, John said that he received
a genuine call from Putin.
John is scheduled to perform in Moscow
on Monday.
Putin has defended a Russian law that
prohibits the promotion of “gay propaganda” to minors. The law's
passage prompted worldwide condemnation and calls for a boycott of
the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
In September, John called Putin's
stance on gay rights “isolating and prejudiced.”