Kremlin Denies Plans for Meeting Between Kanye West and President Putin
The Kremlin has stated there are no plans for a meeting between American rapper Kanye West, also known as Ye, and President Vladimir Putin. This denial comes after speculation regarding Ye's potential visit to Russia. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov explicitly dismissed the suggestion, clarifying that arranging such a meeting falls outside the presidential administration's purview. Ye is scheduled to perform two shows at St. Petersburg’s 70,000-capacity Gazprom Arena on October 10 and 11, making him one of the most prominent Western music stars to perform in Russia since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022. Tickets for these events, priced between 9,000 and 160,000 rubles (€92 to €1,642), reportedly sold out within hours. This Russian tour follows a challenging European tour for Ye, during which he was barred from entering Britain and had several shows canceled in other European countries due to his history of antisemitic and pro-Nazi remarks. 
