Sochi: Vladimir Putin insisted on Sunday that he is "on friendly terms" with gay acquaintances and that millions of Russians love pop icon Elton John "despite his orientation", as he sought to defuse calls from gay rights activists to boycott the Winter Olympics.

In an interview with foreign journalists less than three weeks before the opening of the Winter Olympics in Sochi, the Russian president also claimed he had seen no evidence that the event's eye-watering price has been inflated by corruption.

He shrugged off an effective boycott of the Games by Western leaders, including Barack Obama, in what is widely seen as a protest at controversial laws banning "propaganda of homosexuality" to people under 18. And he insisted that neither he nor his government is homophobic, reiterating his position that the law - which critics say effectively banishes discussion of homosexuality or gay rights from the public space - is simply a child-protection measure.

"If you want my personal attitude, I would tell you that I don't care about a person's orientation and I myself know some people who are gay. We are on friendly terms. I'm not prejudiced in any way," he said.