Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen has urged US President Donald Trump to speak to him directly, rather than venting his frustrations on social media, the BBC reports.
Nielsen’s comments followed Trump’s comments that he would send a US medical ship to Greenland to care for the Arctic island’s residents. The American wrote on his social media account Truth Social that he was preparing to send the ship, loaded with medical supplies, to the island, suggesting that many Greenlanders were sick and not receiving adequate care.
Nielsen responded by saying “it’s going to be a no thanks from us,” adding that, unlike the US, Greenland provides free healthcare to its citizens.
Trump has long had his sights set on the large Arctic island, but in January he said he would not rule out the use of force to annex the Danish autonomous territory to the United States. This caused serious concern in Europe and NATO. Trump later said that guidelines had been developed for future cooperation between the United States and Greenland.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that he and his Greenland envoy, Jeff Landry, were preparing to send a medical ship to Greenland, and that it was already on its way. The post was accompanied by an image that looked like an artificial intelligence-generated image of the USNS Mercy. It is one of two US Navy medical ships.
It is not known whether Trump had either of these ships in mind, nor is it clear what prompted the offer.
Nielsen said that she had noticed Trump’s idea, but that Greenland has a universal health care system that offers free medical services to citizens. It is not like the United States, where every doctor’s visit has to be paid for. He stressed that Greenland is open to cooperation with the Americans, but that it is important to discuss all issues directly, not through social networks.
Trump’s post followed after the Danish Joint Arctic Command reported that it had evacuated a crew member who needed medical attention from a US submarine near Greenland. It is not known whether the US president’s statements are related to this incident.
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