President Donald Trump, a Republican, has said he wants the US to take over Greenland and has not ruled out the use of force to do so.

“I don’t believe that there is real bipartisan support in the Congress to aggressively move on Greenland,” minority leader Hakeem Jeffries, the leader of the Democrats in the House of Representatives, told reporters in Copenhagen during a visit by a group of Congress members.

“You’ll have to ask our Republican colleagues, but I haven’t seen serious Republican members of Congress weigh in support of the notion that we should somehow invade Greenland,” he added.

The US Congressional delegation included members of both parties although no Republicans spoke at a press event held after they met Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and defence minister Troels Lund Poulsen.

Jeffries said Denmark was a tremendous ally of the US in building a rules-based society around the world, in contrast to remarks by vice president JD Vance who, on a trip to Greenland in late March, said Denmark had not been a good ally.

A 1951 agreement between the US and Denmark gives the US the right to move around freely and construct military bases in Greenland as long as Denmark and Greenland are notified.

“That agreement is still valid, it’s alive, and the leaders here in Denmark have made clear that it remains available to be utilised,” Jeffries said.

He added that the delegation did not discuss with Danish officials increasing the US military presence or activity in Greenland.