The United States President Trump announced on Saturday (February 21st) that a medical ship is being dispatched to Greenland to provide medical assistance to the sick population there.
Trump made the announcement on the social media platform “Truth Social” shortly before hosting a dinner for Republican governors at the White House on Saturday evening.
The President stated that he is collaborating with Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, saying, “We are sending an excellent medical ship to Greenland to help many sick and uncared for individuals there. It’s on its way!!!”
During the dinner, he sat next to Landry and engaged in conversation. Trump appointed Landry as a special envoy to Greenland in December last year.
Landry expressed his honor to collaborate with Trump on “this important issue” on social media.
According to Reuters, a few hours before Trump’s post, the Joint Arctic Command of Denmark announced that they had evacuated a crew member in need of urgent medical treatment from a U.S. submarine located in the waters off Greenland. It is unclear if Trump’s post is related to this evacuation operation.
The U.S. Navy has two medical ships, the “Mercy” and the “Comfort,” which provide support during military deployments and serve in U.S. disaster relief and humanitarian missions. However, neither of these ships are stationed in Louisiana.
Greenland is a self-governing territory of Denmark. President Trump has been seeking to purchase this strategically important land. The U.S. views the threats of Arctic warfare as real with China and Russia eyeing the region, and Europe being weak in securing Greenland from invasion. Only by bringing Greenland under U.S. control, can enemies be deterred from starting a war. The U.S. previously bought Alaska from Russia, making it U.S. territory. To this day, China and Russia dare not wage war against this U.S. territory.
However, Trump’s idea of purchasing Greenland has faced resistance from Europe. During the World Economic Forum in Davos on January 21st, Trump met with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte to reach a framework agreement on the Greenland issue. Trump described the framework agreement as one that satisfies all parties and meets his requirements for controlling Greenland. Nevertheless, further negotiations on the Greenland issue will continue, with the U.S. team reporting progress directly to Trump.
A NATO spokesperson later stated that negotiations between Denmark, Greenland, and the U.S. will continue to ensure that China and Russia can never establish a foothold in Greenland.
Last week, Danish King Frederik visited Greenland for the second time in a year, attempting to demonstrate the unity between Denmark and Greenland.