The real Vladimir Putin calls Elton John and promises to meet him

WILL the real Vladimir Putin please stand up?

After pranksters called Elton John pretending to be the Russian president, Putin himself contacted the red-faced singer and promised to meet up.
Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian news agencies that Putin called the Rocket Man hit maker on Thursday and “asked him not to feel offended” by the prank.
The Russian leader promised to meet John as long as the schedule permits and discuss “any issues that he is concerned about.”
The British singer was recently duped by Russian prankster Vladimir Krasnov, who pretended to be Putin, after announcing he wanted to meet the Kremlin strongman to discuss gay rights.

In the cringe-worthy audio, Krasnov spoke in Russian while a fellow prankster translated his words into English, as John hung on every word.
“He was very happy and said that the call had made his day and that it was a miracle that it had taken place,” Krasnov said.
Afterwards, the British musician posted a picture of the Russian leader on Instagram, thanking him for “reaching out and speaking via telephone with me today.”

Elton John thanks Vladimir Putin

The gay rights activist soon found out he had been punked, but remained uncharacteristically magnanimous.
“Pranks are funny. Homophobia, however is never funny. I love Russia and my offer to talk to President Putin about LGBT rights still stands. I will always stand up for those that are being degraded and discriminated against,” John wrote on Instagram, alongside a photo of a man with a bleeding nose.
“If this unfortunate incident has helped push this vital issue back into the spotlight, then I am happy to be pranked on this occasion. @ejaf @president_vladimir_putin #lgbt #lgbtrights #ShareTheLove.”

Elton John responds to pranksters

Earlier this month, John criticised Russia’s law against gay “propaganda” and comments by Putin suggesting that gay people prey on children.
In 2013, Putin triggered outrage among rights activists when he signed off on a law that bans the “promotion” or display of homosexuality in front of minors.
Meanwhile, Putin is set to meet another of his adversaries: US President Barack Obama.
The men will meet on Monday in New York, their first face-to-face encounter in nearly a year amid strongly troubled relations between the two nations.

US-Russian relations deteriorated significantly after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine more than a year ago.
The US, as well as other Western countries, imposed sanctions on Russia over the annexation and over claims that Russia is supporting an insurgency in eastern Ukraine with troops and arms.
The White House said Monday’s meeting was arranged at Putin’s request and that despite deep differences with Moscow, Obama felt it would be irresponsible not to assess whether progress could be made on the Ukraine and Syria crises.