NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg refused to address questions concerning Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s decision to forgo a key alliance meeting next month, in favor of talks with Chinese and Russian counterparts.

Mr. Tillerson’s plan to opt out of April’s NATO ministerial, which will likely focus on American and alliance-led military efforts in Afghanistan, eastern Europe and elsewhere, is being interpreted by some members of the international community as another slight against the Cold War alliance by the Trump White House.

While Mr. Stoltenberg refused to address Tillerson’s schedule, the NATO chief did commend Defense Secretary James Mattis’s “strong personal support and leadership” regarding the importance of the alliance in regional and global security matters.

“I think we all understand that in times of turmoil, in times of uncertainty, the need for strong international institutions like NATO is even greater,” Mr. Stoltenberg said at the Pentagon, shortly before a one-on-one meeting with Mr. Mattis ahead of this week’s counter-Islamic State summit in Washington.

“We need to strengthen NATO in response to the challenges and the unpredictability we see surrounding us today,” he added.

The alliance ministerial, set for early April at NATO headquarters in Brussels, will be the first one held since Mr. Tillerson was sworn in as the State Department chief, Reuters first reported Tuesday.

Instead of heading to Belgium, Mr. Tillerson will join President Trump at his Mar-a-Lago compound in Florida for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, then traveling to Moscow for bilateral talks with Russia, Reuters reported.

State Department officials indicated planned meetings with NATO ministers participating in the counter-Islamic State summit would make up for Mr. Tillerson’s absence during next month’s ministerial. Almost all 28 NATO members, except for Croatia, are participating in the U.S.-led coalition to defeat Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL.

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