Kremlin Confirms That Putin Will Actually Meet Elton John
Last week Elton John announced that he was trying to organize a meeting between him and Russian president Vladimir Putin to discuss gay rights issue in the country. News then emerged that the leader had contacted the musician by telephone to discuss the issue, although it was later revealed that this phone call was actually a hoax carried out by a Russian prankster.
Now though, the Kremlin has confirmed that Putin has called the pop star to propose a meeting. In a statement to Russian media, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov explained that the president wanted to apologize to Elton John about the prank and was willing to meet when both men had gaps in their schedules.
Gay rights groups and activists have criticized Russia and Putin for enacting controversial laws in the country that they say persecute the LGBT community. International organizations have also condemned the government for not doing enough to stop homophobic violence. Meanwhile, John has campaigned for gay rights around the world and set up the Elton John AIDS Foundation in 1992.
