Why Blinken's visit to Ukraine was "revolutionary" but not fully successful
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to Ukraine on 14-15 May was orchestrated in a way that it could have been historic and significant, leaving only positive impressions.
The message of faith in Ukraine that his visit was supposed to convey was immensely powerful. However, its outcome was not entirely successful.
Read more about Blinken's visit in the article by Sergiy Sydorenko, European Pravda's editor – From guitar to victory: details of Blinken's visit to Ukraine, which brought many surprises.
Blinken's visit to Ukraine was marked by unprecedented openness, including the dissemination of security details by the State Department.
The two-day visit allowed for a truly packed agenda.
Blinken was the first high-ranking Western official to speak in Kyiv not from a bomb shelter but from a regular hall in front of a large audience at the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. He also demonstrated that Western politicians could even have some fun in Ukraine by visiting the pub Barmen Dictat.
The visit was also supposed to send signals to Kyiv about what is truly important to Washington. Blinken met with activists involved in anti-corruption, judicial reform and the confiscation of Russian assets. He also visited one of the places where Ukrainian drones are manufactured, highlighting the significance of the US's decision to transfer additional financial assistance for arms production in Ukraine, what Blinken announced during his visit.
Moreover, Blinken visited a facility producing prosthetics for soldiers with amputations, the Veterano pizzeria, Maidan, the memorial to fallen soldiers and other sites.
While the US did plan to send several public signals to Ukraine durin this visit, Blinken's team didn't really succeed in it. The biggest issue was Blinken's guitar performance in the Kyiv pub, which sparked a wave of outrage on Ukrainian social media (and even reached the US media) since it was pretty inappropriateness time wise for such a "leisure activity."
The message that Ukraine had become safer, which Blinken's pub visit was supposed to convey, went largely unnoticed by most Ukrainians. Similarly, the symbolic choice of the song Rockin' in the Free World from the album Freedom was missed, as was Blinken's introductory speech that mentioned Kharkiv and the difficult period for Ukraine. The Department of State did nothing to explain the intended message behind this performance, leading to the good intentions of the Secretary of State falling flat and causing more outrage than appreciation among the Ukrainians.
Of course, Blinken did not come to Kyiv just to perform in a pub or speak to students. He is primarily responsible for political dialogue, including reforms. Washington currently has unpleasant and even painful for Kyiv signals.
After the recent approval of the aid package for Ukraine, the US government has a new and effective tool: the White House can allocate money only in exchange for reforms. However, Blinken did not publicly address reforms or government reshuffles in Ukraine.
In terms of the war, Blinken made statements that few expected. Perhaps the most resonant was his declaration that Ukraine must win the war. This was not just another ritual but a fairly revolutionary stance for a representative of the Biden administration.