Greenland and Denmark have formally rejected an offer from U.S. President Donald Trump to send a hospital ship to the Arctic island, saying such aid is unnecessary because Greenland already has a functioning public healthcare system, officials said Sunday.
Trump announced the proposal on social media, saying he was sending “a great hospital boat to Greenland to take care of the many people who are sick, and not being taken care of there,” and suggested the mission was being coordinated with Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, whom he appointed as special envoy to Greenland.
In response, Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen wrote on Facebook that the offer was “noted” but unnecessary, asserting that Greenland already provides free public healthcare to its residents and does not need foreign medical assistance. Nielsen said Greenland remains open to cooperation with other countries but urged that any future initiatives should be discussed through proper diplomatic channels rather than announced on social media.
Officials in Copenhagen backed Greenland’s stance. Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen told local media that Greenland’s population receives the care it needs either locally or, when specialised treatment is required, in Denmark. He said there was no need for a separate healthcare initiative from the United States.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen also defended her country’s health system, highlighting free and equal access to medical care for all citizens in both Denmark and Greenland, and emphasising that insurance or wealth does not determine treatment there.
The incident comes amid ongoing diplomatic tensions over Trump’s broader interest in Greenland, which he has repeatedly described as strategically important for national security. While Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark, Trump’s suggestions in recent months, including earlier comments about U.S. control over the island, have drawn strong pushback from Copenhagen and Nuuk, where leaders have stressed sovereignty and cooperation with Denmark.
Separately on the same weekend, Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command said it had evacuated a U.S. submarine crew member who required urgent medical treatment to a hospital in the Greenlandic capital of Nuuk.