Elton John says he received a phone call from Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose statements about same-sex couples have angered the pop star. “I would like to meet (Mr Putin)”.

He said: “I would welcome (dialogue) because things get done better when you see somebody and you meet them”. This day and this conversation were the most wonderful of my life’.

“I don’t know who spoke to Elton John but President Putin did not speak to him”, spokesman Dmitry Peskov told. “I look forward to meeting with you face-to-face to discuss LGBT equality in global criticism for its laws against homosexuality, including a 2013 bill prosecuting people for providing information about homosexuality to people under 18.

John made his challenge to Putin while in the Ukraine, where he met with President Petro Poroshenko to discuss that country’s stance on gay rights. I’d love to sit down with him and talk to him.

John’s representatives did not immediately return calls for comment on Wednesday after it was revealed that he had been the target of a prank. He said: ‘Thank you.

As previously reported, John has gone on record as saying he’d like to meet with Putin to discuss gay rights in Russia.

The singer, who has two young sons with husband David Furnish, has been outspoken on the issue of gay rights before, most recently when, earlier this year, he temporarily boycotted Dolce and Gabbana after the fashion designers called children conceived by IVF “synthetic”.

“But don’t isolate and be prejudiced against gay people”.

Krasnov said that Elton John had not seemed remotely surprised when he came on the line as Putin.

The Rocket Man star admitted over the weekend that he was still hopeful of meeting Putin to talk about the controversial issues, despite having a similar request snubbed during a visit to Russia in 2014.