Not long after Elton John made public his desire to speak with Russian president Vladimir Putin, the two connected on a phone call.

Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, told the media that the two parties spoke, with Putin saying he was willing to meet with the singer when their schedules permit to "discuss any questions that interest him."

Last week, John said that he wanted to confront Putin face-to-face about his views on LGBT rights, calling it "ridiculous" and "isolating and prejudiced."

A few days later, John posted that he had a promising conversation with Putin, who invited him to attend a gay-pride march in Moscow, however, the call turned out to be a prank from a Russian TV show.

Putin, according to Peskov, apologized for the practical joke, with the spokesman quoting Putin as saying, "I know you were pranked by those telephone guys.

Don't be offended by them, they're harmless, but that of course doesn't excuse them."