At the end of a gloomy day in Ukraine's capital, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken slipped into a seat at Berman Diktat, a crowded basement cocktail bar where a punk-jazz band was screeching.
After singing a few songs, the band's frontman called Mr. Blinken to the stage on Tuesday, and by prior arrangement, America's top diplomat slung a red Gibson guitar over his shoulder.
“We know these are really, really difficult times,” Blinken said, ditching his typical dark suit and tie for blue jeans and a dark button-down shirt. It was a reference to recent Russian military advances. He said Ukrainian soldiers, especially those in the northeastern city of Kharkiv, were “suffering very much.”
“But they need to know, and you need to know. The United States is with you, and much of the world is with you,” he said, seeking some of the spotlight. This was the central message of his unannounced visit to Kiev. Nearly $61 billion in additional military aid was signed into law by President Biden in April after months of delays by the right-wing House Republican minority.
Under bright stage lights, he said the troops were “fighting not just for a free Ukraine, but for a free world. And the free world is with you.”
“So, can I try something?” he added. “I don’t know if we can make this happen.”
Shortly after, the band started up and Mr. Blinken, a guitarist who has played with the band for years and has several songs available on Spotify, belted out the opening chords of Neil Young's anthem “Rockin' in the Free World.” started strumming. At least with basic ability.
Vintage 1989 and with a chorus to match its title, the song evokes America's victory as Soviet communism began to crumble. This clearly underscores one of the central messages of Blinken's tenure and the Biden presidency: that Western democracies are in a critical struggle against reactionary authoritarian forces. It was chosen for.
For Mr. Blinken, Ukraine, a newly emerging democracy at war with President Vladimir V. Putin's Russia, is the front line of that battle.
Critics may question this song choice. The Canadian-born Mr. Young is not an American nationalist, and the song's lyrics sharply describe America's current state of drug-addicted young mothers and President George H.W. It makes a mockery of that promise. A “kinder” country.
In that sense, the song is often misunderstood in the same way as Bruce Springsteen's “Born in the USA,” but the song is less a patriotic anthem and more a scathing indictment of Reagan-era America. be. (That may be one reason Mr. Young sued President Donald J. Trump to prevent him from performing his own music at his 2020 campaign rallies.)
Blinken's foray to the podium quickly drew criticism online from critics who said it was no time for ministers to wear jeans, citing famine in Gaza and the horrors in Kharkiv. “This is not a serious administration,” the Republican National Committee account posted on social media.
But the moment seemed to have served its purpose. Blinken's policy speech earlier in the day on long-term aid to Ukraine was not a huge hit on social media. But by Tuesday afternoon, his politicized rock had gone viral.
