Trudeau duped by Russian pranksters pretending to be Greta Thunberg

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has joined a growing list of public figures targeted by Russian pranksters posing as climate activist Greta Thunberg.

Audio of Justin Trudeau speaking to an accomplice of pranksters Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexey Stolyarov in January has been released by the pair, BBC reported.

The prime minister apparently fielded questions from the fake Ms Thunberg, on Nato, world peace and Donald Trump.

"The Prime Minister determined the call was fake and promptly ended it," Trudeau's office said in a statement adding that this is not the first prank call of a world leader.

"Hello Greta!" the recording begins.

"I understand that you have a lot of work and not so much time to talk to a young girl, but I'm very concerned about the growing international crisis," the impersonator responds.

The fake Thunberg then told Trudeau that he and other world leaders "are adults, but you act like children".

"Leave Nato, drop your weapons, pick flowers, smile at nature," she said.

Taking the increasingly strange comments in stride, Trudeau applauded the fake Thunberg for her "perspective" and "passionate words".

Asked about US President Donald Trump - whom she described with an expletive - Mr Trudeau replied that his responsibility was to "work with world leaders that other people choose".

"I can certainly understand that people can feel very, very strongly about him," Mr Trudeau said.

Kuznetsov and Stolyarov have previously targeted Elton John, Prince Harry, and Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris for pranks.

In 2018 they called then-UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, pretending to be the prime minister of Armenia.

Critics have accused the pair of being linked to Russian security services, which they deny.

"We only choose the subjects we are interested in ourselves," Mr Kuznetsov told the Guardian in 2016.