Supporters of Ukraine blasted Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday for rocking out in a Kyiv basement bar as fierce fighting gripped the northeastern part of the war-torn country.
Blinken, 62, took the stage with a local band at a watering hole in Ukraine’s capital city and, with guitar in hand, belted out the Neil Young classic, “Rockin’ in the Free World,” during an apparent break from diplomatic meetings related to Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
The revelers inside the bar cheered Blinken on, but the optics of the top US diplomat letting loose during an official visit to a warzone did not go over well on social media.
“Astonishingly tone-deaf,” Jimmy Rushton, a Kyiv-based foreign policy analyst, wrote on X. “This isn’t supposed to be a f***ing vacation; Ukrainian soldiers are fighting and dying in large numbers right now along the frontline and Blinken is in a bar in Kyiv pretending to be a rockstar.”
“There’s already a lot of anger at delays and restrictions imposed by the US,” Rushton added, referring to the monthslong delay in Congress approving additional military aid to Ukraine.
“By and large, this will go down extremely poorly, especially given the current situation in Kharkiv,” he argued.
Rushton’s critique was echoed by several other Ukraine supporters on X.
“They don’t need performances. Enough of those already. Delivery please!” one user wrote.
“Who cares? Did he bring F-16s, PATRIOTs, and NASAMS with him? A Neil Young cover won’t defeat Russia (and it’s technically Canadian, regardless),” another person chimed in.
Some social media users joked that Blinken’s strumming might actually help the war effort.
“Since we can’t produce enough artillery shells, Blinken will (try) to kill them with cringe,” one person quipped on X.
“We are winning the battle of the bands!” another Ukraine supporter celebrated.
Blinken, who was introduced as “great friend of Ukraine” by one of the band members, acknowledged the harsh conditions on the front lines before playing the cover.
“Your soldiers, your citizens – particularly in the northeast, in Kharkiv – are suffering tremendously,” he told the crowd. “But they need to know, you need to know, the United States is with you, so much of the world is with you and they’re fighting not just for a free Ukraine, but for the free world. And the free world is with you, too.”