Elton John got taken by Russian hooligans pretending to be Vladimir Putin, but now the real Putin reached out and touched the Rocketman: The Kremlin says President Putin called up Elton on Wednesday, and asked him not to be offended by the prank.

He also proposed a meeting and said John was welcome to discuss “any issue of interest.”

Are we sure this isn't another prank? Does Russia have its own version of Punk'd?

John met with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko this month to push for LGBT civil rights, and told the BBC he'd like to do the same with Putin.

“I’d love to meet him [Putin], I’d love to sit down and talk to him. It’s probably pie in the sky but unless you try, unless you put your foot in the water, your toe in the water," said the Grammy winner.

"At least if I meet him and say, ‘Listen, come on, let’s have a cup of tea, let’s talk about this’, he might laugh behind my back and then he shuts the door and call me an absolute idiot but at least I can have a conscience and say I’d tried.”

While Sir Elton is known for his extravagant lifestyle and celebrity tiffs, he's also been a tireless advocate for LGBT equality and AIDS awareness—at a time when few others were.

Here's hoping he gets that meeting!

h/t: Towleroad