Elton John wants to meet Vladimir Putin to discuss gay rights

Elton John has said he would like to meet with Vladimir Putin to talk about the Russian president's "ridiculous" stand against gay rights.

The musician told the BBC he would welcome such a discussion even though Putin "may laugh behind my back" or "call me an absolute idiot, but at least I can have a conscience and say I tried."

John made the comments Saturday during a visit to the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, where he called on business leaders to accept gays in the workplace.

John, who is gay and an outspoken activist, spoke to hundreds of business and political leaders at a high-profile forum, telling them that policies "designed to repress LGBT citizens ... hinder economic
development."

He pointed to studies showing that emerging economies that protect LGBT rights have a higher gross domestic product per capita. He says "so being tolerant and inclusive is not only the
morally right thing to do, for the new Ukraine, it's the smart thing to do."

The British singer and composer played two outdoor concerts in Kyiv in 2007 and 2012 to raise awareness for Ukraine's AIDS epidemic, which is the worst in Europe.