Secretary of State Antony Blinken was panned for his “inappropriate” Rockin’ in the Free World guitar performance in Kyiv.
Blinken arrived in Ukraine on Tuesday to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky “discuss battlefield updates, the impact of new U.S. security and economic assistance, long-term security and other commitments, and ongoing work to bolster Ukraine’s economic recovery,” on the heels of President Biden signing a $60 billion aid package.
During a surprise trip Ukraine, Blinken took time out of his diplomatic visit to join a local band called 19.99 on stage to belt out Neil Young’s 1989 anthem Rockin’ in the Free World at a local bar.
Over a thousand US Troops are abandoned in Niger.
And Blinken rocks out in Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/ZlpmHsAlQc
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) May 14, 2024
“I know this is a really, really difficult time. Your soldiers, your citizens, particularly in the northeast in Kharkiv, are suffering tremendously,” he said ahead of the performance.
“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.”
Despite whatever Blinken’s artistic intent behind playing the song was, many in Ukraine viewed the American official’s performance as ill-timed, attributing their country’s struggles against Russian aggression to Washington’s delayed support.
The foreign aid package stalled out in congress for several months while lawmakers fought over inclusions for border security and the Israel-Hamas war.
“One word is enough to describe US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s evening in Kyiv yesterday: inappropriate,” commented Svitlana Matviyenko, the head of the Agency for Legislative Initiatives NGO.
“Kharkiv region is being wiped from the Earth, people are leaving their homes, Kharkiv is under strike from air bombs. Sumy region is preparing, and a US top official is singing songs in a Kyiv bar,” she noted.
“Six months of waiting for the decision of the American Congress” has “taken the lives of very, very many defenders of the free world,” criticized Ukranian lawmaker Bogdan Yaremenko.
“Yes, we are very grateful for the vital help of the United States. Without it, we would probably have lost this war,” he added.
“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,” Yaremenko said in reference to traditional Russian music.
While Ukrainians weren’t thrilled with Blinken’s performance, Zelensky did thank the United States for the aid, but still pressed for more.
“The people are under attack: civilians, warriors, everybody,” he reportedly remarked. “They’re under Russian missiles.”
Blinken’s latest trip marks his fourth time in the country since Russia’s invasion in February of 2022.
Maybe he should have delivered some gangsta rap, repping his bosses Obummer and Biteme.