BRUSSELS—One of NATO’s senior generals said the alliance wants to balance stepped-up deterrence against Russia with increased communication, but so far Moscow has rebuffed attempts to have a military-to-military dialogue.

The top uniformed officers from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization gathered in Brussels on Thursday for meetings on a variety of strategic threats, including Russia. The officers discussed ways for NATO to bolster its deterrence against any Russian aggression as well as the need to work with Russia to...