Eminem And Elton John Hug
Elton John (R) hugs rap singer Eminem after they performed the song "Stan" at the 43rd annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles February 21, 2001. Eminem won the Grammy for Best Rap Album earlier in the evening. Reuters

Elton John recently took to Instagram to thank the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, for reaching out and speaking with him via telephone about a discussion on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, or LGBT, issues. It turned out, however, that it was just a prank call.

“Thank you to President Vladimir Putin for reaching out and speaking via telephone with me today,” John wrote as caption of a photo of Putin that he posted on Instagram. The English singer and composer also said he looks forward to meeting the President of Russia face-to-face to discuss LGBT equality in Russia.

However, it was revealed that the person who called John was not Putin but a Russian prankster named Vladimir Krasnov, according to The State Press. The “Can’t You Feel the Love Tonight” actually thought Krasnov was Putin’s interpreter.

During their conversation on the phone, John said he is not only a musician but also a humanitarian. When criticised by the prankster for being too political when it comes to his campaign for LGBT acceptance, John reportedly pointed out that he has loved Russia since 1979 when he first visited the country. He added that he is not a politician and that he adores Russia and Russian people very dearly.

Moreover, when the prankster asked John what the most significant LGBT crisis in Russia was, the musician cited the violence against LGBT people. John went on to suggest that he and the alleged Russian president meet face-to-face because the phone call was not enough to discuss the LGBT issue in Russia.

However, the day after the said call, Kremlin issued a statement clarifying that Putin never talked to John. Due to the incident though, the real Putin has offered to meet with John to discuss the said LGBT issues, BBC reports.

Married to David Furnish, John is an openly gay celebrity. In a televised interview in 2014, Putin described John as a distinguished musician and an extraordinary person sincerely loved by millions of people despite his sexual orientation.

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