America News Agency

Blinken took the stage at Barman Dictat, a famous speakeasy-style bar in the basement of a courtyard in the centre of Kyiv, and joined the Ukrainian band 19.99.

The Foreign Minister picked up a guitar and performed a rendition of Neil Young's Rockin' in the Free World with a Ukrainian rock band.

The footage was quickly shared on social media, divided Ukraine, and the performance was one of the main discussion topics in Kyiv on Wednesday. While some hailed Blinken's return as a welcome gesture of support, others questioned how right it was to perform in a bar when the situation on the front line was so tense.

One band member said the group was told before the event that they would perform with Neil Young but was asked to keep it a secret. It was only at the last minute that they realized their guest would be the Foreign Minister.

On Wednesday, guitarist Arsen Gorbach told BBC Radio 4, “He was connecting with his eyes, with our band leader and me... It was our first performance on stage, but it felt like we'd been a band for two years.”