Updated

Charles Krauthammer told viewers Tuesday on “Special Report with Bret Baier”  that a new Homeland Security report calling the flow of foreign fighters into Syria “the largest global convergence of jihadists in history” shows the situation “ is historically unprecedented. But what’s also unprecedented is the utter passivity of the United States.”

Krauthammer, a syndicated columnist and Fox News contributor, said while the findings of the report are alarming, the growing Russian presence in Syria is even more concerning:

“The real story this week is what happened at the U.N. where Putin essentially stepped in and took over Syria. He’s now the leader. We had said two weeks ago, I think it was the secretary of state, who said the buildup of the Russians was doomed to fail.  Two weeks later we have not only accepted it, we welcome it as a fight against ISIS and we concede essentially that Assad will stay under the protection of the Russians. And the irony is, the Russians aren’t in there to fight ISIS.

“The Russians are in there to support Assad, establish their predominance in the region, to bring in Iran and to establish military facilities… This isn’t about the Russians taking on ISIS, this is about Russians taking over Syria, and keeping Assad as a client in place. That’s what happened even as the administration sputters because it has no idea what to do.”