According to President Donald Trump, the USA wants to send a hospital ship to Greenland and thereby risk new tensions in relations with its NATO partner Denmark.
02/22/2026, 08:2002/22/2026, 08:20
It should help care for the sick who cannot get help on the Arctic island, Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform. “It’s on the way!!!” He spoke of a “great” ship, but otherwise gave no further details.
Trump’s repeated threats to annex the strategically important island, which belongs to the Kingdom of Denmark, even by force if necessary, have led to tensions between Europe and the USA in recent weeks.
Wants Greenland: US President Donald Trump.Image: keystone
The US Navy has two large hospital ships. In the past, the floating hospitals were relocated to affected areas for relief operations after natural disasters such as massive earthquakes or devastating hurricanes. During the peak phase of the corona pandemic, they were also used at times in US ports. According to the Navy, the hospital ships each have a capacity of around 1,000 hospital beds, including 80 beds in the intensive care unit.
Only just under 57,000 people live in the huge area of Greenland. Recently there have been no reports of a major medical need there that would make sending a hospital ship seem necessary.
Were Denmark and Greenland asked in advance?
It initially remained unclear whether the planned deployment of the hospital ship, according to Trump, had been coordinated with Denmark’s government or in largely autonomous Greenland. The time frame for the relocation also remained unclear: on the one hand, Trump wrote that the ship was already on its way, but on the other hand, it usually takes some time to equip a hospital ship with full personnel. During regular operations, when the ships are at anchor, there is only a minimal crew on board.
In Greenland, in addition to public health facilities in the area, the Queen Ingrid Hospital in the capital Nuuk is responsible for more complicated cases. In individual cases, patients are flown from Greenland to Denmark for more complex procedures.
European countries such as Germany, Great Britain and France have backed Denmark and Greenland in the conflict with the USA. The governments in Copenhagen and Nuuk strongly oppose annexation by the United States. They have now started talks with Trump’s government – with the aim of finding a compromise. (sda/dpa)