U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal said that he will be sending a letter to the organizers of the FIFA World Cup asking them to remove the 2018 games from Russia after their political complacency in Syrian war crimes.

Blumenthal told a Connecticut news station ( WTNH News 8)  that he will send a letter to FIFA calling for the immediate rejection of Russia as its 2018 host country. The Senator said Russia enabled Syria to commit a gas attack, which reportedly killed 70 people. Syria says that is false.

Blumenthal said Russia knew what was going on, and should have tried to stop it. Because of that, he is going to send a letter to FIFA saying the 2018 World Cup shouldn’t be held there.

“I’m hoping that this letter will bring out the best, the better angels of the world soccer federation members, but I’m prepared to take next steps if necessary,” he said.

Adding: “This kind of hosting of the championships of the World Cup has more than just a symbolic message – it rewards Russia – it enables Putin to be the big man on stage which is what feeds his ego to do more of this kind of complacency and some of the most horrific and heinous actions the world has ever seen.”

The FIFA World Cup is currently scheduled to begin in eleven Russian host sites on June 14 2018.