On May 14, local time, US Secretary of State Blinken made a surprise visit to Ukraine and met with Ukrainian President Zelensky. Blinken said U.S. military aid to Ukraine was "on the way."
During his visit to Kiev, Blinken sang rock music with a band while carrying a guitar in a bar. However, there are reports that instead of "boosting morale" as hoped, Blinken's move was widely criticized as "untimely" and his singing was also accused of being "tone deaf."
▲On May 14, local time, during his visit to Ukraine, US Secretary of State Blinken played and sang rock songs with a local band in a bar in Kiev. According to icphoto
, on the same day, due to the deterioration of the battlefield situation in Ukraine, Ukrainian President Zelensky canceled his original plan to visit Spain and Portugal.
reported that the scene of Ukrainian troops withdrawing from border villages and towns formed a dazzling contrast with the music scene in the bar, which touched the pain points of the Ukrainian people and caused dissatisfaction. Critics say now is not the time for U.S. government officials to "wear jeans and sing in bars." Why is
controversial:
The choice of track and occasion confused Ukrainians
On the morning of the 14th local time, Blinken arrived by train in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, for a visit. According to reports, this is Blinken’s fourth visit to Kiev since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Unlike the previous three times, he made an exception and brought a complete entourage and team of reporters during this trip.
During his visit to Kiev, Blinken also tasted local pizza accompanied by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba, and sang rock music with the band in a bar while carrying a guitar. At that time, Blinken, who was wearing jeans, took to the stage and said: "I know this is a very, very difficult time, and you need to know that the United States is with you."
But according to reports, Blinken's performance, regardless of the track, Both the content and the performance context baffled observers.
▲Blinken plays the guitar. According to icphoto
, Blinken chose to play and sing "Rock in the Free World" by Canadian singer Neil Young. The lyrics include, "There are colors in the streets; red, white and blue; people dragging their feet; people sleeping in in the shoes; but there are warning signs on the road ahead; many are saying: we're better off dead."
Many social media comments pointed out that the song is a reference to homelessness, drug addiction and poverty in the free world. A sad song; the song became popular in the United States because its lyrics addressed the problem of drug addiction among young mothers in American society and satirized former U.S. President Bush's promise to build a "kinder, gentler" country.
"Currently, Ukrainian soldiers are fighting and dying on the front lines in large numbers, and Blinken is pretending to be a rock star in a bar in Kiev." Jimmy Rushton, a foreign policy analyst living in Kiev, commented, "Not to mention, he Tone deaf."
Ukrainian veteran Oleg Simoroz, who lost his legs in the conflict, criticized the performance as "completely inappropriate." "His singing was unskilled and inappropriate," he said. Lincoln should be at a soldier's cemetery, not a bar.
Oleksandr Kraev is the leader of the North American project of the Ukrainian prism think tank. In his view, although Blinken's visit was welcomed, many Ukrainians were confused by the act of singing in a bar. "From the perspective of ordinary Ukrainians, this is not appropriate." He pointed out that, in particular, This is because bars are often the place where deserters are hunted down.
Peer officials dismiss criticism:
Blinken would not have participated if he felt it was inappropriate
Valery Challi, who served as Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States from 2015 to 2019, said: “With all due respect, this is a mistake — — Miscommunication.”
Ukrainian lawmaker and former diplomat Bogdan Yaremenko said the timing of the performance was inappropriate because Ukraine was suffering from delays in U.S. aid. "The message was easy to understand, but it wasn't delivered," he said.
Svetlana Matvienko, head of the Ukrainian Legislative Initiative NGO, concluded that Blinken's performance can be described in one word: "inappropriate."
Some analysts said that there is a disconnect between Blinken's positive attitude and the grim reality on the front line of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the mood of the Ukrainian people. This is evident from his high-profile event arrangements and large-scale delegation.
U.S. officials traveling with Blinken dismissed criticism of the song choice and the singing at the bar. They said Blinken would not attend the event if he deemed it inappropriate. Senior U.S. diplomats believed the musical performance could convey the Biden administration's support for Ukraine, one official said privately.
Blinken proposed the "Music Diplomacy Initiative" in September last year, using music as a "diplomatic tool." But its latest practice in Kiev has also faced criticism in the United States. Eli Klan, a Republican congressman from Arizona, commented: "Could Biden's foreign policy be more embarrassing?" Media commentator Meghan McCain said: "I've said it a hundred times... in American politics There are too many dramatizations of failed giant babies/actors/musicians”
Red Star News reporter Deng Shuyi Comprehensive Global Network and other
editor Pan Li editor Li Binbin
.Some analysts said that there is a disconnect between Blinken's positive attitude and the grim reality on the front line of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the mood of the Ukrainian people. This is evident from his high-profile event arrangements and large-scale delegation.
U.S. officials traveling with Blinken dismissed criticism of the song choice and the singing at the bar. They said Blinken would not attend the event if he deemed it inappropriate. Senior U.S. diplomats believed the musical performance could convey the Biden administration's support for Ukraine, one official said privately.
Blinken proposed the "Music Diplomacy Initiative" in September last year, using music as a "diplomatic tool." But its latest practice in Kiev has also faced criticism in the United States. Eli Klan, a Republican congressman from Arizona, commented: "Could Biden's foreign policy be more embarrassing?" Media commentator Meghan McCain said: "I've said it a hundred times... in American politics There are too many dramatizations of failed giant babies/actors/musicians”
Red Star News reporter Deng Shuyi Comprehensive Global Network and other
editor Pan Li editor Li Binbin
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