Putin calls Elton John, promises to meet him after prank call

Many key Obama officials take a hard-line towards Putin and generally favor rewarding his toughness in kind.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold talks with his US counterpart Barack Obama during his visit to the UN General Assembly next week, the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday.

Fast forward to Thursday, where Putin reportedly called John after hosting a meeting on agriculture in southern Russian Federation.

Monday’s meet will happen as the General Assembly holds its annual session.

But White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Ukraine will be “the top item” for Obama.

Obama has repeatedly declined to meet with Putin in recent months due to ongoing tensions in Ukraine and Syria, where Moscow’s military has been extremely active.

The official added that President Bashar al-Assad’s forces had already been using these weapons against the Islamic State group in the cities of Deir Ezzor and Raqa, the IS de facto capital in Syria.

Rachel Maddow explains that, insane as it may seem, Russian Federation is bulldozing and incinerating large quantities of imported food in retaliation for sanctions imposed by Western countries for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

In particular, the official said that Washington’s “European partners” have emphasized the importance of sending a unified message to Moscow about the need to fully implement the Minsk accords regarding the situation in Ukraine.

As previously reported, the world-famous entertainer and gay rights activist was pranked by a Russian comedian known as “Vovan” last week into believing he was talking on the phone with Putin.

The two leaders met for a brief moment at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in November 2014, though Peskov said they only “exchanged a few words” at that time.

He said he would like to speak to the president, although “he may laugh behind my back… and call me an absolute idiot”.

Asked whether Ukraine would be discussed, he said: “Well, if time allows”.