U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken took to the stage at a bar in Ukraine’s capital on Tuesday, playing guitar and singing Neil Young’s 1989 hit “Rockin’ in the Free World” with a local band. Ta.
The jam session came a day after Mr. Blinken met with government officials, civil society officials and university students throughout the day and encouraged them not to get discouraged in the ongoing battle with Russia.
Blinken assured visiting Ukrainians that they were not alone and that after months of political delays, billions of dollars in military aid from the United States would make a “real difference” on the battlefield.
This performance, and Mr. Blinken’s series of sunny comments about Ukraine’s battlefield prospects, comes as a surprise in what analysts are calling one of the most dangerous moments for Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. It was a contrast.
U.S. Treasury sanctions a Russian man and three companies for trying to evade sanctions
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken plays “Rockin’ in the Free World” with members of The 1999 Band at Berman Diktat Bar during a visit to Kyiv, Ukraine, on May 14, 2024. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/Pool, Reuters TPX Image of the Day)
Russian forces have occupied territory along Ukraine’s northeastern border, leaving thousands of civilians in the Kharkiv region fleeing increasingly violent attacks.
Blinken makes unannounced diplomatic visit to Ukraine after Congress approves $60 billion in military aid
Blinken told Ukrainian leaders during a visit to Kiev that more weapons are arriving, even though U.S. military aid has been delayed for a long time and is vulnerable to a new Russian military attack. , said some have already arrived.
He made the case even as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy personally appealed for more air defense systems to protect civilians under heavy Russian fire in the northeast. Blinken, who was in Kyiv for the fourth time since the war began, also slammed Russian President Vladimir Putin for underestimating Ukraine’s determination to fight back.
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy (left) greets U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (right) before their meeting in Kiev, Ukraine, Tuesday, May 14, 2024. (Ukraine Presidential Press Office, via AP)
Despite his assurances, Moscow’s forces have captured about 40 to 50 square miles in northeast Kharkiv in recent days, including at least seven villages, according to open-source monitoring analysts.
“I understand that these are difficult times,” Prime Minister Blinken told Zelenskiy after arriving by night train from Poland. But he added that U.S. military aid “will make a real difference to Russia’s ongoing aggression on the battlefield.”
Congress approved a long-delayed foreign aid package last month, setting aside $60 billion in aid for Ukraine, much of it to replenish badly worn artillery and air defense systems. Since then, the Biden administration has announced $1.4 billion in short-term military aid and $6 billion in long-term aid.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
President Zelenskiy thanked Mr. Blinken for his assistance, but said more support was needed, including two urgently needed Patriot air defense systems to protect Kharkiv.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
