President Vladimir Putin did not have a phone conversation with Elton John, who has said he wants to talk to him about gay rights, the Kremlin says.

Elton John had said he wanted to talk to Vladimir Putin about his “ridiculous” stance.

Later, a message on Elton John’s Instagram account thanked Vladimir Putin for “reaching out” in a phone conversation.

However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said no conversation between Elton John and the Russian president had taken place – and hinted that the call could have been a hoax.

Elton John’s Instagram message added: “I look forward to meeting with you face to face to discuss LGBT equality in Russia.”

The pop star’s office said that the two men had spoken.

But Dmitry Peskov told reporters that reports of a conversation were “not true”.

“I don’t know who spoke to Elton John but President Putin did not speak to him,” he said.

“I don’t know [what happened] but President Putin did not speak to Elton John and most importantly we didn’t receive any proposals to meet.”

Dmitry Peskov added: “If the president does get such a signal from Elton John, the president has always been open to discuss any… human rights problems, any issues. He is always ready to clarify the real situation.”

Russia has faced international criticism for its homophobic laws.

A report by Human Rights Watch in 2014 said Russia was failing to prevent and prosecute homophobic violence amid a rise in attacks against minorities.

During a recent interview, Elton John admitted he thought it was unlikely he would meet President Vladimir Putin.

“It’s probably pie in the sky. 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.”