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Vladimir Putin and Elton John Discuss Gay Rights, Singer Says Kremlin Denies Vladimir Putin and Elton John Spoke
(about 3 hours later)
LONDON — One is celebrated for his macho bravura, and has been known to wield a rifle and hunt tiger (with a tranquilizer gun). The other is known for his elaborate costumes, ballads and gay activism. LONDON — It was a story that seemed almost too good to be true. Russia’s president, Vladimir V. Putin, celebrated for his macho bravura, and the pop star Elton John, known for his elaborate costumes, ballads and gay activism, coming together in a phone conversation that the singer said had been initiated by the Kremlin.
But the two men — Russia’s president, Vladimir V. Putin, and the pop star Elton John — came together in a phone conversation the singer said was initiated by the Kremlin. “Thank-you to President Vladimir Putin for reaching out and speaking via telephone with me today,” Mr. John wrote in an Instagram post on Monday afternoon that went largely unnoticed for a day. “I look to forward to meeting with you face-to-face to discuss LGBT equality in Russia.”
“Thank-you to President Vladimir Putin for reaching out and speaking via telephone with me today,” Sir Elton wrote in an Instagram post on Monday afternoon that went largely unnoticed for a day. “I look to forward to meeting with you face-to-face to discuss LGBT equality in Russia.” Once discovered, the Instagram post went viral. Many news organizations, including The New York Times, reported Mr. John’s account. The only problem is that, according to the Kremlin, the phone call never happened.
In recent years, Russia has drawn criticism from human rights groups for enacting legislation restricting the activities of gay rights organizations. Mr. Putin’s press secretary, Dmitri S. Peskov, said late on Tuesday that Mr. Putin had never spoken to Sir Elton. “This does not correspond to reality. There was no conversation,” Mr. Peskov told journalists.
The conversation, which a spokesman for Sir Elton confirmed, evidently stemmed from a BBC interview over the weekend in which the singer spoke about music’s power to encourage tolerance. Sir Elton was in Ukraine recently and met its president, Petro O. Poroshenko, to discuss gay rights. He also said his office could not be sure the Instagram post was actually Elton John’s. But, he said that Mr. Putin was open to discussion about everything and he that he did not doubt the president would be willing to speak with the singer.
In the interview, Sir Elton said of Mr. Putin, “I’d love to sit down with him and talk to him.” He added, “The world faces much bigger problems than gay people.” There was no immediate explanation for the discrepancy in the accounts, though some have speculated that Mr. John was the victim of a prank call. Mr. John was not available for comment.
Apparently, someone in the Kremlin noticed. The putative conversation, which was confirmed Tuesday by a spokesman for Mr. John, evidently stemmed from a BBC interview over the weekend in which the singer spoke about music’s power to encourage tolerance. Mr. John was in Ukraine recently and met its president, Petro O. Poroshenko, to discuss gay rights.
Whether Mr. Putin’s gesture will lead to anything more substantive remains to be seen. Sir Elton was hoping to arrange a face-to-face talk, saying of Mr. Putin in the interview: “Let’s have a cup of tea, let’s talk about this.” In the interview, Mr. John said of Mr. Putin, “I’d love to sit down with him and talk to him.” He added, “The world faces much bigger problems than gay people.”
The Kremlin did not say Tuesday whether Mr. Putin would respond to that invitation. After the interview was published, Mr. Peskov said there was no meeting planned. “Taking into account that there are many insinuations of late, we regard such information with extreme caution,” he said.
But days later, the Instagram post about the reported phone call proved irresistible.
In recent years, Russia has drawn criticism from human rights groups for enacting legislation against “gay propaganda” and restricting the activities of gay rights organizations. Mr. Putin himself, while distancing himself from any blatantly anti-gay activities, has promoted an agenda of traditional values and religion, while criticizing Western “decadence.”