In Ukraine, Anthony Blinken plays 'Rockin' in the Free World' on guitar in basement bar

On a visit to Ukraine, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was seen in a different avatar than his usual diplomat self in Kyiv. Dressed in a casual shirt and jeans with an electric guitar around his neck, the top US diplomat launched into Neil Young’s anthem soon after a short speech expressing his empathy with Ukrainians facing the Russian onslaught.

Blinken, on his surprise 2-day trip to Kyiv, played a rendition of Neil Young's 'Rockin' in the Free World' with the local band at a bar named ‘Diktat’.

The song was released in 1989 after Neil Young's planned concert in the Soviet Union was cancelled.

Blinken sought to rally Ukrainians' spirits during the new Russian offensive, assuring them they were not alone.

Before playing the song, Blinken told the audience at the bar: “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 a free world. And the free world is with you, too.”

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The video of Blinken performing with the Ukraine band went viral online and received mixed reactions from netizens. 

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“Tax dollars at work,” one X user jibed as he wrote: "Secretary of State Antony Blinken is rocking out in Kyiv, Ukraine, singing "Rocking to the Free World" to Ukrainians. Your tax dollars at work. Blinken is in Ukraine to assure them that the United States still supports them. Unfortunately for Ukraine, Russia has launched an offensive in the north-eastern Kharkiv region. (Guardian) "We know this is a challenging time," Blinken said."

“Antony Blinken just made the preposterous claim that the U.S. *always* conditions its military aid on compliance with international and humanitarian law. If that is true with respect to Israel, then why does Blinken keep saying that Israel needs to reduce civilian casualties?” another user commented. 

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Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday said Blinken's visit to Kyiv looked like a sign of Washington's growing alarm over the frontline situation and what it called Ukrainian military failures.

While Russia's Defense Ministry said, air defences shot down 10 US-supplied Ukrainian missiles targeting Crimea.