Story highlights Tillerson will not attend NATO meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels, State Dept. says

Russia meeting later in April penciled in, spokesman confirms

(CNN) In a move that could puzzle international allies of the United States, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is not only skipping a NATO meeting in Brussels next month but also heading to Moscow.

This week, he will meet with several of his counterparts from NATO member countries, a spokesman confirmed, but will skip a scheduled meeting of foreign ministers.

The US will host the coalition to defeat ISIS starting Wednesday and Tillerson will meet with the NATO members' foreign ministers in Washington then, the spokesman said.

State Department acting spokesman Mark Toner told reporters Tuesday afternoon that the meeting's dates didn't fit in Tillerson's schedule. The State Department has sent "alternative dates" to NATO for the meeting, and Toner said the agency is "certainly appreciative of the effort to accommodate Secretary Tillerson."

A NATO official confirmed that the group is still negotiating with the State Department to schedule the meeting, but added that Tillerson's schedule isn't the only one they're coordinating on.

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