WASHINGTON — In a surprising move, President Trump announced on Saturday his decision to send a hospital ship to Greenland. This announcement came on the heels of Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command evacuating a crew member from a U.S. Navy submarine.
Reacting to the announcement, Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen expressed surprise, stating that Denmark had not been informed of Trump’s initiative and emphasized that there was “no need for special healthcare efforts” in Greenland.
Greenland’s Prime Minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, offered a more direct response, simply stating, “It’s a no thank you from here.”
In a signed post on Truth Social late Saturday, Trump wrote, “In collaboration with the fantastic Governor of Louisiana, Jeff Landry, we are dispatching a remarkable hospital ship to Greenland to assist the many individuals who are sick and not receiving necessary care there.”
Governor Landry, who was appointed as a special envoy to Greenland, has been involved in Trump’s interest to acquire the territory, which remains under the sovereignty of Denmark, a key NATO ally.
The U.S. Navy’s fleet includes two major hospital ships, the Comfort and the Mercy, ready for such deployments.
Trump’s post came just before he hosted GOP governors at the White House.
The medical incident impacted at least one crew member, who needed urgent treatment, while stationed on a US submarine in Greenlandic waters, Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command revealed Saturday.
That individual was then transferred via a Danish Defense Forces Seahawk helicopter to Greenland’s capital, Nuuk.
Trump’s overture to Denmark comes on the heels of a detente of sorts during his pressure campaign to acquire the icy island.
The 47th president has long sought to acquire Greenland. Early last month, after he authorized a raid to capture Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro, his push for Greenland began to deeply unnerve European allies.
This was particularly true after the White House initially declined to rule out the use of military force to take over Greenland.
Denmark has repeatedly and forcefully refused to sell or transfer the Arctic island to the US.
Numerous European allies have stood by Denmark, backing up Copenhagen in its spat with the US.
Ultimately, the US, Greenland, and Denmark held negotiations to address the impasse. Late last month, Trump announced that they had come to a “framework of a future deal.”
Details of that deal are still murky, but it appeared to include provisions aimed at beefing up security in Greenland amid fears of a growing Russian and Chinese presence in the Arctic.
