Sir Elton John may be a world-class troll.
He posted a photo of Vladimir Putin to his Instagram yesterday, claiming to have spoken over the phone with the Russian president. John said he was looking forward to a further face-to-face chat with Putin on the issue of LGBT rights in Russia. But according to the Kremlin, the call never happened.
Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov denied the two ever spoke in a conference call with Russian media outlets.
“I don’t know who Sir Elton talked with, but I can responsibly say that Vladimir Putin has not spoken to Sir Elton John.”
Peskov added that the Russian head of state is open to talking with Elton about these issues.
“If the president receives an indication that Elton John wants to talk, he is open to discussing any societal problems and issues…Putin is always ready to explain how things really are.”
That last line was a nod to the Putin administration’s position that it’s recently passed laws against gay propaganda and are not anti-gay or part of a larger program to make life difficult for LGBT people living in Russia.
In a press conference before the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Putin denied any oppression of gay people.
“There is no ban for homosexual relations in Russia, yet propaganda of homosexuality among minors – and pedophilia in particular – is prohibited. We neither disallow anything [homosexual] nor bust anybody [who’s gay], we have no criminal liability for such relations – as opposed to many other countries of the world. So you can feel calm and relaxed – but leave the children alone, please.”
(Via RT)
