During his visit to Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken surprised everyone when he went on stage alongside the local rock band “19.99” and joined them in performing Neil Young's classic hit “Rockin' in the Free World”.
Dressed in a black shirt and jeans, and holding a red Epiphone brand guitar, Blinken opened the performance with a few words to the crowd gathered at the “Barman Dictate” club – a legendary “speakeasy” style place in the basement in the heart of the city.
“I know this is a very, very difficult time. Your soldiers, your citizens, especially in the northeast of Kharkiv, are suffering a lot,” Blinken said, adding “but they need to know, you need to know, that the United States is with you. They are fighting not only for a free Ukraine , but for the sake of the entire free world.”
The performance itself received mixed reactions. Blinken's guitar was out of tune, and like other politicians, including former President Donald Trump, he seemed to misunderstand the ironic message of the 1989 rock hit, which addresses America's failings, such as homelessness and gun crime.
Even so, there are many Ukrainians who felt it was not the right time for the US government's envoy to put on a rock show, given the fact that, in their view, the delays and opposition of Republicans in Congress to extensive military aid have led to heavy losses on the battlefield.
“Six months of waiting for the decision of the US Congress” caused “the loss of life of many fighters for the free world,” wrote Bogdan Yaramenko, a member of parliament and former diplomat from President Zelensky's party, in a Facebook post.
“Yes, we are very grateful for the essential help of the United States. Without it, we would probably have lost this war,” he added. “But we also cannot ignore everything that leaves the impression that what the United States is performing for the free world is not rock and roll, but other music similar to a Russian chanson.”
However, not everyone was negative towards Blinken's performance. The guitarist of the band “19.99” described the experience as “exciting”, and said that he felt as if they had been an old band together for two years.
