Gazprom has held talks with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) with a view to becoming one of 12 potential “global” sponsors of the 2012 London Olympics. “I will say once again that we are firm in our intention to continue joint construction of the Nord Stream gas pipeline in line with the plans and the schedule,” Vladimir Putin told journalists after a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Some believe that Russia’s gas row with Ukraine signals “the first failure of Gazprom’s foreign policy,” but either way most of the incendiary issues remain unresolved, according to analysts.