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For a man responsible for delivering the first major sporting event in a former communist country since the , appears to be handling the pressure well.

"We will be ready", Ukraine's Vice-Prime Minister proudly told me repeatedly during an interview to discuss his country's somewhat fraught preparations for Euro 2012.

Kolesnikov's office was straight out of the Cold War, with phones connected to the Kremlin, and a world map centred on Moscow. But it was also festooned with official memorabilia. For Ukraine, it's clear that this is a big opportunity to look forward, and towards the west.

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