The expert on the conversation between Putin and Biden: "Pessimistic"

Katarina Engberg is a security analyst linked to the Foreign Policy Institute's Russia program.

She believes that it is necessary to keep the diplomatic channels open between Russia on the one hand and NATO, the United States and the European Union on the other.

But at the same time assesses that the prospects of negotiating until a military downsizing are small.

- There is a kind of Russian rage over the lost position of power that is believed to have suffered the country over the past thirty years.

It is something much bigger than discussing what Ukraine's security policy should look like.

You can read of an underlying desire for revenge from the Kremlin that is toxic and violent and how to deal with such?

There is no room for compromise.

Putin has called for the situation to be rolled back to 1997, before many countries in Eastern and Central Europe became members of NATO, and this will not happen.

How to look at the telephone conversation between Biden and Putin that is to be held?

- That it is a strong warning from Biden that if the diplomatic negotiations fail and Russia goes to some form of attack in Ukraine, one can expect very strong Western reactions.

The fact that the United States is now evacuating its embassy and urging all its citizens to leave Ukraine sounds as if they have intercepted communication from the Russian military leadership indicating that something is going on.

That the risk of attack has increased and that it can happen in the near future.

Can you trust that the United States has the correct intelligence?

- Neither the United States nor anyone else can know for sure whether Putin has made the final decision or not.

But it is not possible to wait, if you think the danger is great, you must take action and take responsibility for your citizens in case things go wrong.

When it comes to Swedish citizens, we will probably have to wait until the EU countries come up with a coordinated evacuation plan.

But I suspect it's coming pretty soon.

That diplomacy continues - is it hopeless?

- You should not say that.

And if there were to be military conflicts in the future, you will have to negotiate.

So the negotiating tracks must be kept open at all costs, even if at the moment they can not give much.