Do you sometimes secretly think that, without this cursed war, we would not manage to deliver on some of the projects you mentioned all that quickly?
No. I think of all those who have died, of the fate of those who have been captured, executed or have fallen. Of the Ukrainians who hold out in fear in their basements during missile strikes. When you see the images of the Russian recruits that Putin is forcing into this senseless war, who say goodbye to their wives and children, and if you then see the statistics that possibly one in three will never see their families again, that every day hundreds of these men will die or be seriously injured – it’s bound to hit you. You see what horror has gripped Europe.

On balance was it – despite everything – a year of progress where we took a step forward and not a year where we took a step backwards?
No, you can’t say that. There’s a war in Europe. People are dying. The high prices are really hurting a lot of people. We are facing a recession. You cannot call that progress. But we have proven ourselves. We can deal with such situations. We have continuously managed to find a solution to a specific problem. The gas storage facilities were empty – we wrote a law and filled them. Uniper collapsed – we nationalised the company. Ukraine is attacked – we deliver arms. And as right as it, the fact that we are having to deliver arms is hard to swallow.

For the Greens?
For everyone, I think. The decision was necessary for Ukraine to be able to defend itself against an attack which violates international law. I do not doubt that for one moment. But nevertheless, you cannot gaily applaud it knowing that a large proportion of the 300,000 recruits will be injured or die – also from weapons that we supplied. I supplied. I signed the licence. How could that be a decision that has brought us forward?