Russian President Vladimir Putin has phoned British singer Elton John and proposed a meeting if their timetables coincide, Putin’s spokesman told Russian news agencies on Thursday, Reuters reports.
John had previously asked to speak to Putin about gay rights in Russia, but had fallen victim to pranksters who impersonated Putin on the phone.
This time, Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said a phone call had really taken place and that the Russian leader had asked John not to be offended by the earlier prank, which had been carried out by comedians and later broadcast on Russian television.