Greenland has hit out at Donald Trump saying the country “does not need medical assistance” after the US President announced his nation was “going to send a great hospital boat to take care of the many people who are sick”. Troels Lund Poulsen, Defence Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of Denmark, told Danish broadcaster DR that “the Greenlandic population receives the healthcare it needs”. He said: “They [the Greenlandic population] receive it either in Greenland, or, if they require specialised treatment, they receive it in Denmark. So it’s not as if there’s a need for a special healthcare initiative in Greenland.”

Writing on Truth Social, Mr Trump said the hospital boat was “on the way.” He also said: “We are going to send a great hospital boat to Greenland to take care of the many people who are sick, and not being taken care of there”. It’s on the way!!!”

In Greenland, as well as in Denmark, access to healthcare is free. There are five regional hospitals across the vast Arctic island, with the Nuuk hospital serving patients from all over the country.

This month, Greenland has also signed an agreement with Copenhagen to improve the treatment of Greenlandic patients in Danish hospitals.

Speaking to DR, Lund Poulsen also added he was not aware of the hospital ship’s possible arrival. “Trump is constantly tweeting about Greenland. So this is undoubtedly an expression of the new normal that has taken hold in international politics,” he said.

In the last few months, Mr Trump has repeated the US must take control of Greenland to support its own national security, and said claiming control of the territory would strengthen American military reach in the region. The US President has also pointed to Greenland’s vast natural resources, including rare earth minerals, oil, and gas.

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Mr Trump previously also claimed the US ownership of Greenland would counter growing influence from Russia and China in the Arctic. During his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, he seemed to rule out a military invasion of the island as he said “we won’t do that”, although the White House had previously argued the military option was always at his disposal.

But Greenlandic Prime Minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, after Mr Trump’s previous comments, said “we will not be pressured. We stand firm on dialogue, respect, and international law.”

Several European nations, including the UK, have rallied to Denmark’s side amid the suggestion the US could annex Greenland.