FIFA president Sepp Blatter has dismissed calls for the World Cup in Russia to be boycotted, claiming the tournament can help end the turmoil in the region.
Ukraine's president Petro Poroshenko has called for a boycott of the 2018 tournament in protest at Russian military involvement with pro-Moscow separatists.
But Blatter claimed that would be counter-productive as the tournament could help bring peace.
He told a news conference in Zurich: "What is 100 per cent is that the World Cup will take place in Russia in 2018, that's sure.
"A boycott of the World Cup or any sporting event has never brought any solutions to anybody.
"The European Parliamentary committee is asking for a boycott of the World Cup three or four months ago - it was a boycott of the World Cup in Qatar and now it is the World Cup in Russia.
"In my opinion the World Cup in Russia will be able to stabilise all that region in Europe."
Blatter revealed FIFA has made a profit of 338million (£227.2m) over the last four years and now has cash in the bank totalling $1.5billion (£1billion).
Blatter said reserves that size are needed in case a World Cup, which generates almost all the money for FIFA, had to be moved or postponed.
However, there will be no moving or postponing the 2022 World Cup, with Blatter refusing to apologise for the chaos caused by the tournament being played in the winter.
FIFA has moved to quieten the protests of clubs around the world by trebling the amount paid for the release of players for the next two World Cups from $70million (£47.3m) in Brazil last year to $209million (£141.3m) for Russia and Qatar.
The move seemed to have the desired effect, with the European Clubs' Association welcoming the announcement and chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge making accommodating noises regarding the scheduling of the Qatar tournament.
Rummenigge said: "In serious and fair negotiations, the ECA has agreed with FIFA on a transparent economic and organisational cooperation until 2022.
"For the first time, the European clubs will have a direct say on the international match calendar, which was very important to me personally. As a result, the ECA will be actively involved and contribute constructively to the design of the calendar, especially for 2022."
That will go down as a positive outcome for Blatter, 79, who is refusing to release a manifesto as he prepares to run for a fifth term in the job, instead saying he will stand on his record after 17 years as president.
"I am not campaigning, I am doing my job as FIFA president and I will do that until last day of my mandate which was given to me in 2011," he said.
"My manifesto is the work I have done in FIFA - I have now been 40 years in FIFA and 17 years as president of FIFA. This is my manifesto."
Subject: Blatter dismisses calls to boycott Russian WC 
