Sir Elton John has asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet with him – to discuss his country’s anti-gay laws.
The veteran singer, who has two sons with his husband David Furnish, spoke out after meeting with the President of neighbouring Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, to discuss LGBT rights.
Sir Elton raised the country’s appalling rights record and urged Poroshenko and business leaders to make reforms – and now wants a chance to challenge Putin’s misconceptions too.
Speaking to the BBC, he cited about Putin’s ignorant comments ahead of last year’s Sochi Winter Olympics, when he claimed that gay people would be let in as long as they “leave the children in peace”.
Sir Elton said: “I’d probably not [change his mind], but I’ll have a go! I’d love to meet him, I’d love to sit down with him and talk to him.
“It’s probably pie in the sky… but if I meet him and say ‘let’s have a cup of tea and talk about this’, he may laugh behind my back when he shuts the door, and call me an absolute idiot, but at least I can think I have the conscience to say I tried.”