Kyiv, Ukraine

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday took to the stage of a Kyiv bar for a guitar performance of “Rockin’ in the Free World”, in a bid to send a message of defiance and hope, and highlight that the US and much of the world was fighting not just for Ukraine but for the free world.

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However, Blinken landed in hot water after visuals from his performance sparked an angry backlash from Ukrainians, who chastised Washington’s top diplomat for an ill-judged jam session while Ukrainian troops are fighting in trenches, struggling to hold back a Russian advance amid a shortage of weapons.

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“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.

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Blinken, who is in Kyiv this week has pledged unwavering US support to Ukraine as Russia has intensified attacks in Ukraine.

He played a rendition of Neil Young’s 1989 rock anthem with Ukrainian musicians at a famed Kyiv bar, Barman Dictat.

“I know this is a really, really difficult time. Your soldiers, your citizens, particularly in the northeast in Kharkiv are suffering tremendously,” he said on stage, holding a red electric guitar.

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“But they need to know, you need to know, the United States is with you... They’re fighting not just for a free Ukraine but for the free world,” he added.

Also read: Zelensky cancels Friday visit to Spain amid fresh Russian offensive in Kharkiv 

Watch: Battle of Kharkiv, Russia steps up attack

Blinken is the first senior US official to travel to Ukraine after US Congress last month passed a $61 billion military aid package following a delay of several months during which Russia gained advantage in the battlefield.

Ukrainian lawmaker Bogdan Yaremenko, a former diplomat and MP from President Volodymyr Zelensky’s party, said the performance was ill-timed, coming after US aid delays cost Ukraine lives and territory.

“The message is not hard to understand, but it’s not getting through,” he said in a Facebook post.

Kyiv has been on the back foot on the battlefield for months as Russian troops have slowly advanced, taking advantage of Ukraine’s shortages of troop manpower and artillery shells.

“With all due respect, it’s a mistake. The message is wrong,” said Valeriy Chaly, Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States from 2015 to 2019.

(With inputs from agencies)