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Greenland’s prime minister publicly rebuked President Donald Trump on Sunday, rejecting his proposal to send a U.S. hospital ship to the Arctic territory and urging him to stop making “random” social media posts about its future.
Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen issued the response in a pointed Facebook post following Trump’s announcement.
“We say no thank you from here,” Nielsen wrote. “President Trump’s idea of sending an American hospital ship here to Greenland has been noted. But we have a public healthcare system where treatment is free for citizens.”
The prime minister also contrasted Greenland’s system with that of the U.S., writing that in America “where it costs money to go to the doctor.”
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Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen issued a rebuttal to President Trump via Facebook. (Alessandro Rampazzo/AFP via Getty Images)
Nielsen said Greenland is “always” open to dialogue with the U.S. but urged Trump to engage directly.
“Talk to us instead of just making more or less random outbursts on social media,” he wrote. “Dialogue and cooperation require respect for decisions about our country being made here at home.”
On Saturday, Trump announced on Truth Social that his administration was working with Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry to send a hospital ship to Greenland to care for people who are sick and “not being taken care of there.”
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Gov. Jeff Landry, R-La., was designated special envoy to Greenland in December. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Landry was designated special envoy to Greenland in December and has held formal discussions outlining Trump’s plans to strengthen Arctic security amid threats from Russia and China.
In late January, Landry spoke with NATO leaders and expressed support for a “framework of a future deal” to expand U.S. influence in the region.
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Trump’s offer came after Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command evacuated a crew member from an American submarine near the Greenlandic capital. (Joe Raedle/Getty)
Trump’s offer came after Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command evacuated a crew member from a U.S. submarine seven nautical miles outside Greenland’s capital, Nuuk.
The crew member was transferred by a Danish Defense Seahawk helicopter to a hospital in Nuuk and handed over to Greenlandic health authorities, the Joint Arctic Command said.
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The U.S. Navy operates two hospital ships – the USNS Mercy and the USNS Comfort – both of which were last docked in Alabama for repairs, according to Reuters.
Digital’s Eric Mack contributed to this report.
