Ukrainian criticism mounts over Blinken's guitar performance
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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has joined a local band, 19.99, on stage and performed Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World.”
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Secretary of State Antony Blinken's performance with band 19.99 Brendan Smialowski (AFP via Getty Images)
During an unexpected visit to Kiev, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken joined a local band, 19.99, on stage and performed Neil Young’s "Rockin’ in the Free World."
Sporting a black shirt neatly tucked into blue jeans and wielding a cherry red Epiphone guitar, Blinken, aged 62, addressed the audience at Barman Dictat, a renowned venue located in a downtown Kiev basement.
"I know this is a really, really difficult time. Your soldiers, your citizens, particularly in the northeast in Kharkiv, are suffering tremendously," he said. "But they need to know, you need to know, the United States is with you. They’re fighting not just for a free Ukraine but for the free world."
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken performs“Rocking to the Free World” in a bar in Kyiv. // video by @cspan pic.twitter.com/EgSrl3UKWh
— Ostap Yarysh (@OstapYarysh) May 14, 2024
The performance itself has garnered mixed reviews, with criticism directed at Blinken's out-of-tune guitar. Similar to other politicians, including former US President Donald Trump, Blinken seems to have misunderstood the 1989 rock hit as a patriotic anthem.
However, ironically, Neil Young's "Rockin' in the Free World" references America's shortcomings, such as homelessness and gun violence.
Inappropriate amid delayed US support
Many Ukrainians found it inappropriate for Blinken to be engaging in such a performance. They believe that Washington's delayed response is primarily responsible for their struggles on the battlefield against Russia.
Despite Congress finally approving a $60 billion military aid package last month after months of negotiations and Republican pushback, many Ukrainians feel it is too little, too late.
"Six months of waiting for the decision of the American Congress" has "taken the lives of very, very many defenders of the free world," Bohdan Yaremenko, a lawmaker and former diplomat with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s political party, said regarding Blinken's performance in a Facebook post.
"Yes, we are very grateful for the vital help of the United States. Without it, we would probably have lost this war," he said. "But we also can’t unsee everything that gives the impression that what the United States performs for the free world is not rock ’n’ roll, but some other music similar to Russian chanson," in reference to a genre of traditional Russian music.
Ukrainian veteran Oleh Symoroz, who lost both his legs in the war, described the performance as "tactless and inappropriate."
Well, if you are serious, then in my opinion such a performance is as inappropriate as possible. Not the right time, not the right time at all. So many people die every day because we don't have enough weapons and enough support from our allies. pic.twitter.com/vRUD3w6VGP
— Dave (@alexsander1244) May 15, 2024
He said in a post on X that it was "not the right time, not the right time at all. So many people die every day because we don’t have enough weapons and enough support from our allies." He advised the "secretary of state to visit a military cemetery instead of a bar."
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