Recent events in Syria indicate that nations maintaining a strategic alliance with Russia can depend on Moscow only as long as they serve President Vladimir Putin‘s interests, stated German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius on Wednesday.

During a brief visit to Jordan, Pistorius made a stop at the Al-Azraq air base before proceeding to Baghdad, where he plans to discuss strategies for stabilizing the region following the potential downfall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Pistorius remarked that Putin’s reliability is contingent upon whether it aligns with his own interests, as Western nations compete with Russia and China for influence and resources in Africa. Russia has yet to respond to his comments.

While Pistorius did not clarify the implications of the developments in Syria for Germany’s role in the region, he indicated that the country’s military presence in the Middle East, which includes approximately 600 troops, is likely to increase rather than decrease.

“This presents a crucial opportunity that we must fully leverage,” the minister emphasized, cautioning against overly optimistic expectations. “Syria must not fall under the control of external powers like Russia, Iran, or Hezbollah once more. The path ahead will be neither short nor simple, but we should assist Syria in achieving a peaceful future for its citizens and greater stability in the region.”

Germany has been part of a U.S.-led coalition comprising approximately 70 nations, maintaining a military presence in Iraq since 2015. This deployment aims to support local forces in their efforts to thwart the resurgence of the Islamic State, which captured significant territories in Iraq and Syria in 2014 but has since been largely repelled. The Al-Azraq base in Jordan serves as a logistical center for this mission, from which the German air force conducts air-to-air refueling operations. The mission in Iraq is scheduled to conclude by September of next year.

Additionally, Germany has contributed around 300 troops to the UNIFIL peacekeeping operation, which oversees the demarcation line with Israel. This region has experienced over a year of conflict involving Israeli forces and Hezbollah fighters backed by Iran.