KYIV — Neil Young songs aren’t usually used as diplomatic tools. Shortly before a curfew on Tuesday night in Ukraine’s war-torn capital, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken deployed a left-handed guitar to support Kiev in its fight against Russia.
Before Blinken became America’s top diplomat, he was a full-fledged rock guitarist. He and a Ukrainian band performed Canadian-American musician Young’s 1989 song “Rockin’ in the Free World” to a packed underground music club. .