Russian president Vladimir Putin has called Sir Elton John and agreed to meet with him after Russian pranksters called the singer, posing as the president.

Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov has told Russian news agencies that the president called Sir Elton and “asked him not to feel offended” by the prank.

The president promised to meet the singer as long as his schedule permits and discuss “any issues that he is concerned about”.

Peskov quoted Putin as saying: “I know that those phone pranksters fooled you. Please don’t be angry with them.”

“Putin also said that he understands how popular Elton John is, so if their schedules permit, he will be willing to meet him in the future and discuss any issues that he is concerned about,” Peskov said.

Earlier this month Sir Elton claimed on Instagram that he had spoken to the Russian president about gay rights in the country, but comedians Vladimir Krasnov and Alexei Stolyarov later claimed responsibility for the phone call.

In the phone call, Krasnov and Stolyarov posed as Mr Putin and his press secretary Dmitry Peskov, with the fake Peskov translating.

The audio was released on Russia’s Channel 1 and Sir Elton can be heard telling the pair it would be a “dream come true” to discuss gay rights with Mr Putin.

They made plans to meet face-to-face in November to talk about “the violence towards LGBT people” in Russia.

Sir Elton concluded the call by saying: “Please thank him for his time and tell him he’s made my day. It’s a very wonderful moment in my life.”

Sir Elton had previously told the BBC at an LGBT conference in Ukraine that he wished to sit down with Mr Putin and discuss his “ridiculous” attitude towards gay rights and particularly the 2013 Russian law that bans the spreading of “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations” to minors.