BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP
Antony Blinken performs “Rockin’ in the Free World” at a kyiv bar on May 14, 2024.
INTERNATIONAL – The image is unusual to say the least. Visiting Ukraine, American Secretary of State Antony Blinken, equivalent to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, took the stage of a bar in kyiv this Tuesday, May 14. He picked up a guitar and demonstrated his musical talents.
The scene which took place in the basement of the bar called Barman Dictat was filmed by several media present as you can see below. While the punk-jazz group The 1999 is on stage, Antony Blinken is arrested and joins them on the stage, says the New York Times. The American daily specifies that the moment was prepared in advance.
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After taking the guitar, the diplomat approaches the microphone and speaks. “I know these are difficult, very difficult times”said the Secretary of State, who was not dressed in his usual suit but simply in a shirt and jeans.
“Your soldiers, your citizens, especially in the northeast, and in Kharkiv are suffering a lot. But they need to know, and you need to know, that the United States is with you, like much of the world. They are fighting not only for free Ukraine, but also for the free world”he added.
Music lover
That’s when he starts playing Rockin’ in the Free World by Neil Young, title released in 1991. The song is not chosen at random, since it speaks of the victory of the United States while the Soviet Union begins to collapse, describes the New York Times.
This is not the first time that the Secretary of State has used music to send a message. In September 2023, he had fun playing (and singing) the song Hoochie Coochie Man by Muddy Waters, during a ceremony to promote cultural exchanges and his country’s foreign policy through music.
During his visit to kyiv, Antony Blinken assured that the United States stood alongside the Ukrainians ” since the first day “, and promised that Washington would stay there “until Ukraine’s security, sovereignty and ability to choose its own path are guaranteed.” This support is essential, as Russia has launched a new offensive in the Kharkiv region and President Volodymyr Zelensky regularly regrets the lack of support from the West.
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