The Kremlin denied that Putin ever placed the call, triggering what the United Kingdom publication The Telegraph calls “a freaky war of words”.
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John’s reps did not return request for comment. You made my day. Then, Vladimir “Vovan” Krasnov and Alexei “Lexus” Stolyarov told Russia’s Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper that they were the ones who called John on Tuesday, pretending to be Putin and the president’s spokesman.
John has been a pretty vocal critic of Putin’s regime’s insensitivity toward the LGBT community in Russian Federation . The two men, known for prank-calling Russian and Ukrainian celebrities for television shows, said the audio of the call would be broadcast on a prime-time show later Wednesday. Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied the reports, saying that Putin never called John.
If there really is such a proposal or request from Elton John, I have no doubt that the president would be ready to meet with him and clarify any questions that he has, Peskov assured.
He added: “We think that Putin is unlikely to want at least in the near future to meet with him and to call, but it turned out that Elton John was waiting for that call, so immediately believed in the reality of a conversation with the people that we represent”.
Putin’s office has revealed that the telephonic conversation between the premier and England’s most revered pop star didn’t actually take place.
Sir Elton, whose real name is Reginald Dwight, had criticised the Russian president’s “ridiculous” stance on gay rights and accused Mr Putin of saying “stupid things” in reference to his warning to gay people travelling to the Winter Olympics to “leave the children in peace”.
On Monday, Elton John surprised his Instagram followers by announcing that he had spoken to Vladimir Putin-Russia’s president and $3,000 sweatsuit connoisseur-earlier in the day.
The 68-year-old music star said in an interview over the weekend that he would like to discuss Russia’s attitude to gay rights with Putin.
Rather than gay rights, Krasnov said the two talked mostly about the situation in Ukraine, where the musician was attending a conference.
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Russian Federation passed a law banning homosexual “propaganda” among children in June 2013, sparking an global outcry.
