Greenland rejects Trump’s hospital ship as Arctic tensions test US-Denmark ties

Greenland’s government has turned down an offer from US President Donald Trump to dispatch a naval hospital ship to the island, delivering a pointed reminder that the dispute over its future is as much about sovereignty and political tone as it is about security or services.

Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen responded cautiously but firmly, saying the proposal had been “noted” while stressing that Greenland already provides universal healthcare.

“But we have a public healthcare system where treatment is free for citizens. It is a deliberate choice,” he wrote, before adding a sharper line aimed at Washington’s style of diplomacy: “But talk to us instead of just making more or less random outbursts on social media.”

The exchange comes after months of escalating rhetoric from Trump about the mineral-rich Arctic territory, which he has repeatedly suggested the United States should take control of for “national security” reasons. That pressure has strained what were historically close relations between NATO allies Denmark and the US, and pushed Greenland further into the centre of a geopolitical contest over the Arctic.

Trump announced the hospital ship plan on his Truth Social platform, sharing an AI-generated image of the USNS Mercy and claiming it was being sent to care for people who were “sick, and not being taken care of there.” The framing was immediately rejected in Copenhagen and Nuuk, where officials said the island’s population already receives the treatment it needs.

Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said medical care is provided either locally or in Denmark when specialised treatment is required, adding:

“It’s not as if there’s a need for a special healthcare initiative in Greenland.”

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen reinforced the political message by highlighting the country’s universal system, saying she was “happy to live in a country where access to healthcare is free and equal for all” and describing Greenland as a place “where insurance or wealth does not determine whether one receives dignified treatment.”