Some countries have held back from siding with Ukraine against Russia because of perceived “western double standards”, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Monday.
The admission by a senior western leader comes as G7 heads of state and government prepare to meet in Japan this week for a summit overshadowed by the war in Ukraine.
Speaking in Berlin, Mr Scholz said the rich world should engage more with developing countries if it wants them to speak up for an international order he said was threatened by Russia.
The answer to this “million-euro question” should include offering them more representation at the UN as well as money and technology to fight climate change, he said.
UN members last year voted by 141 to 5 to demand that Russia withdraw its troops from Ukraine. However, powerful emerging economies such as India and South Africa abstained from the vote.
African countries have expressed concern about the impact of western sanctions on food prices, despite the US and Europe insisting there are no sanctions on agriculture.
The Kremlin often complains of alleged double standards and claims its war in Ukraine is a response to Nato hostility.
Giving a speech in English, Mr Scholz said an “overwhelming majority” of countries agreed on the principles of self-determination and territorial integrity that he said Ukraine was fighting for.
However, he said their will to co-operate would be “limited at best” if they feel that “we only approach them because we are interested in their raw materials or because we want their support on a UN resolution”.
“When I talk to leaders from those countries [about Ukraine], many assure me that they are not questioning the underlying principles of our international order,” he said.
“What they are struggling with is the unequal application of those principles. What they expect is representation on equal terms and an end to western double standards.”
Germany, which hosted last year’s G7 summit, has strongly condemned Russia’s invasion and broken with its own post-1945 practice by sending weapons to Ukraine in concert with western partners.
Several non-western guests have been invited to this week’s G7 meeting in Japan, including India, Brazil and Indonesia, all of whom have held back from condemning Russia over Ukraine.
The G7 is expected to issue declarations on clean energy, food security and economic resilience as part of its outreach to the developing world.
African countries have separately been invited to an economic summit in Berlin shortly before the Cop28 global climate talks in the UAE.
Mr Scholz said on Monday that renewable energy was a “huge opportunity to bring about a new relationship” between Europe and the developing world.
“Within two decades we’ll be living in a solar, wind and hydrogen-powered world. For many countries in Africa, Asia and the Americas which were once importers of fossil energy, this creates an enormous opportunity … this success lies in our very own interest,” he said.
“Countries in the global south must have access to the technology and the capital that is needed to develop climate-friendly energy and industry sectors, access that we can provide.”
Mr Scholz said he supported the African Union’s bid to become a permanent G20 member, and the idea of permanent African representation on the UN Security Council.
Germany is also seeking a permanent Security Council seat for itself.
