People opposing US President Donald Trump's policy towards Greenland protest in front of the US consulate in Nuuk, Greenland, on January 17, 2026. PHOTO: Evgeniy Maloletka / AP / Profimedia
The United States plans to send a hospital ship to Greenland, announced President Donald Trump, who has threatened several times recently to annex Greenland. Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen reacted by saying that the Arctic island of the Kingdom of Denmark does not need such an initiative.
On Saturday, the American president announced on his Truth Social network that the ship “will take care of a lot of people who are sick and not taken care of there”, a statement that dpa believes could increase tensions between the US and Denmark, NATO allies, writes Agerpres.
“It's on its way!” the US president added, calling it a “great” hospital ship.
Donald Trump stated that the operation is being carried out in coordination with Jeff Landry, whom he appointed special US envoy for Greenland in December.
The U.S. Navy has two hospital ships with 100 beds each, including 80 for intensive care, generally deployed after natural disasters such as earthquakes or hurricanes, as well as to assist in U.S. ports at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. Hospital ships have minimal crews while at anchor, so full mobilization cannot be done immediately.
Denmark's reaction
The Danish Minister of Defense, Troels Lund Poulsen, reacted on Sunday to the announcement of the American President Donald Trump, writes AFP, according to Agerpres.
“The Greenlandic population gets the medical care they need. They get it either in Greenland or, if special treatment is needed, in Denmark. So there is no need for a special health initiative in Greenland,” Poulsen told Danish television DR.
Poulsen noted that Trump has been sending short messages about Greenland all the time, which is “undoubtedly the expression of the new normal in international politics.”
Greenland, with a population of about 57,000, has not recently reported significant medical needs that would justify the presence of a hospital ship.
The public health system includes clinics and the Queen Ingrid hospital in Nuuk for complex cases, and occasionally patients are transferred to Denmark, dpa said. AFP reports that in the autonomous Arctic territory, as in the entire Danish kingdom, access to healthcare is free. Just earlier this month, the Greenlandic government signed an agreement with Copenhagen to improve the treatment of islanders in mainland hospitals.
The US president has threatened several times in recent weeks to annex Greenland, a Danish territory, straining transatlantic relations. European countries such as Germany, the United Kingdom or France supported Denmark and Greenland, rejecting the idea of turning the Arctic island into American territory.
