BRUSSELS — NATO is flatly dismissing a claim by Russia that its actions and expansion constitute a menace for Russia's security.

Alliance spokesperson Oana Lungescu said Tuesday that NATO is still studying Russia's new security doctrine, approved last week.

"That said," Lungescu added, "we categorically reject totally unfounded claims that NATO and its policies constitute a security threat" for Moscow.

The new Russian document, signed last Thursday by President Vladimir Putin, accuses NATO of violating international law and moving its military infrastructure closer to Russia's borders.

Last month, NATO invited Montenegro to begin accession talks to become its 29th member. Lungescu said "NATO's enlargement is not directed against anyone" and that each sovereign nation "has the right to choose for itself whether it joins any treaty or alliance."