Finland Says Gas Flows From Russia to Halt on Saturday

Flows of Russian gas to neighboring Finland will stop on Saturday morning, Finnish state-owned gas wholesaler Gasum said in a statement on Friday.

"On the afternoon of Friday, May 20, Gazprom Export informed Gasum that natural gas supplies to Finland under Gasum's supply contract will be cut on Saturday 21 May at 04.00 (GMT)", Gasum said.

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• Finland, Sweden Submit Application to Join NATO

Finland and Sweden formally applied to join the NATO alliance on Wednesday, ending a decades-long policy of neutrality in a move spurred by the Russia invasion of Ukraine.

"This is a historic moment, which we must seize," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said at a short ceremony in which the Swedish and Finnish ambassadors to the alliance handed over their application letters, each in a white folder embossed with their national flag.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said he will speak to Finland on Saturday, while maintaining his opposition to Finnish and Swedish NATO membership bids over their history of hosting members of groups Ankara deems terrorists.

"Of course we will continue all these discussions for the sake of not interrupting diplomacy," Erdogan told reporters.