After Elton John was tricked by Russian 'pranksters' into believing he was on the phone to Vladimir Putin to discuss LGBT rights, audio footage of the conversation has appeared online. It's the least funny prank call you'll hear all year.
The Russian president is notoriously intolerant of his country's LGBT community, and introduced legislation that has made "homosexual propoganda" - such as the rainbow flag or published works containing homosexual content - illegal.
It came as something of a surprise then, when Elton John posted the following message on his Instagram: "Thank-you to President Vladimir Putin for reaching out and speaking via telephone with me today. I look to forward to meeting with you face-to-face to discuss LGBT equality in Russia."
Subsequently, a Kremlin spokesperson has said that no conversation between the two men had taken place - and, as BBC News reports, it became clear that the call was a hoax.
Now, a recording of the hoax call has appeared online. Believing he is speaking, via an interpreter, to the Russian president, Elton says, "My position in life is that people who are gay should be included in all walks of life and be given basic freedom."
When asked he thinks are the most important problems facing LGBT people in Russia, he responds, "The violence towards LGBT people - they don't feel safe... but this is something I don't want to talk about over the phone, this is something I could have a dialogue with the president face to face." Hilarious stuff, right?
Listen to Elton John's hoax call with Vladimir Putin below
Towards the end of the call, Elton explains, "I just want the humanitarian issue to be made better, and I am extremely grateful, please reiterate, that he's found the time to call me when his schedule is so unbelievably busy... I just want to make the world a better place, that's all."
Vladimir Krasnov and Alexei Strolyarov, Russian prank callers, were responsible for the incredibly unfunny phone call.
