Putin said relations were "developing positively" between Cold War foes NATO and Russia, during a meeting with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.

"We are not expressing any concerns about NATO's expansion, but modern threats are such that with NATO's expansion, they are not going away.

"On our part, we firmly state, that we have no concerns touching Russia's security linked to NATO expansion.

"But the encroachment of NATO military infrastructure to our borders is being carefully studied by our specialists," Putin said. "And we will build our military position from these conclusions.

Putin's comments came as NATO enlisted seven ex-communist countries into its ranks, pushing the alliance to Russia's borders, and appeared to contradict earlier remarks made by Russia's foreign minister in Brussels.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov lashed out at the enlargement process following talks between NATO and Russia in Brussels earlier Friday.

"We didn't want this enlargement, and we will continue to maintain a negative attitude. It's a mistake," Lavrov told reporters.

"The presence of American soldiers on our border has created a kind of paranoia in Russia," he added.

WAR.WIRE