Kathmandu. Germany’s top diplomat has downplayed the possibility of a US invasion of Greenland, despite repeated threats from US President Donald Trump to annex the Danish autonomous region.

For years, Trump has publicly expressed his views on buying Greenland or annexing it to the United States. Diplomatic tensions escalated this week after he said the United States would “someday” take control of the region.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadeful said he had “no indication” that he was taking it seriously, when asked about the possibility of Trump taking military action unilaterally. Speaking to reporters after a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, he said the security challenges in the Arctic region were a matter of common concern.

“I believe that there is a common interest in resolving the security issues that we see in the Arctic region and we must and will work towards that,” Wadeful said. He said NATO was in the process of developing more concrete plans on the issue, which would be discussed with US partners.

The comments came ahead of talks in Washington this week between US Secretary of State Rubio and top diplomats from Denmark and Greenland. Meanwhile, Greenland’s government reiterated on Monday that it would not accept a US annexation “under any circumstances”.

A US delegation will travel to Copenhagen on Friday and Saturday to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, members of Congress said in a statement on Monday. Democratic Senator Chris said in a statement that the delegation would meet with business and government leaders to discuss “strengthening Arctic security and fostering stronger trade relationships”.

Republican Senator Thom Tillis said it was imperative that Congress unite in supporting allies and respecting the sovereignty of Denmark and Greenland.

Greenland and NATO said on Monday that they were working together to strengthen their defense systems in the Arctic. Citing these security concerns, Trump has repeatedly cited increased Russian and Chinese activity in the Arctic as reasons for the need for US control of Greenland.