Nothing will stop Russia from hosting the best World Cup in the tournament’s history in 2018, the Fifa president, Sepp Blatter, said on a visit to one of the host venues Sochi on Monday.

“I am a happy and proud president. I am proud that Russia is getting ready to host the World Cup,” Blatter told the Tass news agency from the southern Russian city.

“A lot of this is happening thanks to President Vladimir Putin, but also due to the sports minister [Vitaly] Mutko and [Alexei)]Sorokin (the chief executive of the Local Organising Committee). They are a true team and have a wonderful working relationship.”

Blatter said the 2018 World Cup will be his 10th after more than 40 years working for the world governing body and he expected the finals to be a “wonderful” event.

“Some people are wanting the World Cup to be taken away from Russia but we will give one answer to this – we are involved in football and we will not allow politics to get in the way,” he said.

“If a few politicians are not particularly happy that we are hosting the World Cup in Russia, then I always tell them: ‘Well then, stay at home’.

The Swiss said he was happy with Russia’s progress in preparing for the tournament which will be hosted in 11 cities.

“Your organising committee and you personally deserve five stars,” he told the Russian president.

Earlier this month, a group of US senators urged football’s governing body to strip Russia of its role as host nation, objecting to Moscow’s role in the Ukraine crisis.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has also advocated boycotting the tournament unless Moscow withdraws Russian troops which Kiev says are supporting separatist rebels in east Ukraine.

Blatter was set to hold a working visit with Putin and said he would tell the Russian leader he was pleased with the progress the country was making on the World Cup.

“Everything is going to plan and nothing will get in the way of Russia hosting the best ever World Cup. The economic situation is not the best but I know it will get better.

“The main thing is that the people of Russia are organising this tournament. The people want this championship to go ahead and I personally feel this.”

Sochi will be one of 11 host cities for the World Cup that runs from 14 June to 15 July 2018.

Putin has promised Russia will not let Fifa down when it hosts the World Cup for the first time. “We hosted the [Winter] Olympics last year and now Russia has before it a large, if not to say huge task of preparing for the 2018 world championship in football. These events are no less of a large scale than the Winter Olympic Games,” he said.