Global Reactions: Antony Blinken's Guitar Performance in Kyiv Draws Mixed Responses
From admiration to criticism, international media offers diverse perspectives on the U.S. Secretary of State’s musical display amid the Ukraine conflict
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's guitar performance in a Kyiv bar has sparked varied reactions across the globe. From South America to Europe and Asia, media outlets have reported on the incident with a spectrum of views ranging from commendation to disapproval. In this article I compiled a selection of international headlines, providing a look at how Blinken's musical interlude is perceived worldwide.
Urgente24 - Antony Blinken “rocker” divides Ukraine in difficult times.
Every surprising act causes controversy and rifts. The controversial rock performance was no exception. An avalanche of criticism in some quarters repudiated the convenience of having fun in a bar, while the situation on the Ukrainian front, especially in Kharkiv, is very fragile. […][On the internet] opposing comments were exchanged: “You're a corrupt piece of shit”; “You are a legend.”
Source: Urgente24
ISTOE: Blinken criticized in Ukraine for playing guitar in Kiev bar
The head of US diplomacy wanted to send a message of support to Ukraine by playing Neil Young's song "Rockin' in The Free World" in a Kiev bar on Tuesday, but many Ukrainians criticized the performance. […]
Bogdan Yaremenko, a deputy from Zelensky's party and a former diplomat, said the timing was inopportune after months of delays in American military aid to Ukraine, which weakened Kiev's forces on the battlefield. "The message is not difficult to understand, but it is not getting across," he wrote on Facebook.
Source: ISTOE
RND: Cool or macabre? US Secretary of State rocks in Kyiv
During his trip to Ukraine, Antony Blinken picked up the electric guitar and played Neil Young's “Rocking in the Free World” with a local band. Is he allowed to do that? The US Republicans are outraged: taxpayer money is being wasted. Some find the performance macabre given the suffering of soldiers at the front. Others just think the campaign is cool.
Source: rnd
Hindustan Times: Blinken faces backlash over ‘Rockin’ in the Free World’ performance in Kyiv bar, netizens say it ‘leaves ears bleeding’
Many X users called the top US diplomat's performance inappropriate considering Ukraine's continuing conflict with Russia. Some Ukrainians even chastised him for what they saw as bad judgment given Russia's recent push into northwestern Ukraine. […]
Ukrainian politician Bogdan Yaremenko stated that Blinken's performance was poorly timed.
While appreciating the United States' invaluable assistance, Yaremenko said: "But we also can't unsee all that makes the impression that the United States performs for the free world is not rock and roll, but some other music similar to Russian chanson."
Source: Hindustan Times
Korean Times: Blinken, guitar in hand, tells Ukraine to keep 'rockin' in free world'
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday picked up a red guitar at a basement bar in Kyiv with a message for Ukraine — that the U.S. and much of the world was fighting not just for Ukraine but for the free world.
Blinken, who while in Kyiv this week has pledged unwavering U.S. support as Russia has intensified attacks in Ukraine, joined band 19.99 on stage at Barman Dictat in the capital city. They played Neil Young's "Rockin' in the Free World." a rock anthem released in 1989 just before the fall of the Berlin Wall. […]
Dmitry Temnyi, frontman of 19.99, said he was impressed by Blinken’s guitar skills.
“He played well,” he said.
Source: KT
The Guardian: Antony Blinken’s rock performance in Kyiv bar divides opinion in Ukraine
It was an unexpected moment at the end of a long day in Kyiv for Antony Blinken, after numerous high-level meetings and serious pronouncements promising the speedy delivery of US military aid. The secretary of state picked up a guitar and performed a rendition of Neil Young’s Rockin’ in the Free World with a Ukrainian rock band.
The images, quickly shared on social media, split opinion in Ukraine, with the performance one of the main topics of discussion in Kyiv on Wednesday. Some hailed Blinken’s turn as a welcome gesture of support, while others questioned the optics of performing in a bar while the situation at the front is so tense.
Source: The Guardian
International Business Times: Guitar-playing Blinken Sparks Criticism In Ukraine
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was trying to send a message of defiance and hope when he took to the stage of a Kyiv bar on Tuesday night for a guitar performance of "Rockin' in the Free World".
But some Ukrainians have reacted angrily, chastising Washington's top diplomat for an ill-judged jam session in the capital while Ukrainian troops are fighting in trenches, struggling to hold back a Russian advance amid a shortage of weapons.
"One word is enough to describe US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's evening in Kyiv yesterday: inappropriate," said Svitlana Matviyenko, head of the Agency for Legislative Initiatives NGO.
Source: IBT