FANNING THE FLAMES This picture taken on May 4, 2022 shows a Leopard battle tank of
the Armored Brigade during the Arrow 22 exercise at the Niinisalo garrison in Kankaanp, western Finland. Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin on Thursday, May 12, 2022, expressed their support for NATO membership. AFP PHOTO
KYIV: Finland took a step Thursday toward fast-track NATO membership, triggering a blunt warning from the Kremlin, as the war in Ukraine throttled supplies of Russian gas to Europe and the number of people who fled the country passed six million.