In a humanitarian gesture amid heightened geopolitical tensions, the Danish military evacuated a crew member on a US submarine near Greenland to receive urgent medical treatment, even as US President Donald Trump’s proposal to send a hospital ship to the Arctic region sparked sharp political reactions.According to Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command, the evacuation took place on Saturday about 7 nautical miles off Nuuk, the capital of Greenland.A Danish Seahawk helicopter, deployed from an inspection ship, airlifted the crew members to a hospital in Nuuk for immediate care. The authorities did not reveal details about the medical emergency, but confirmed that the operation was carried out quickly to ensure the safety of the individual.The rescue operation comes at a sensitive time, as diplomatic tensions have increased between Denmark and the United States, two NATO allies, due to renewed American interest in Greenland, an Arctic region rich in minerals and of strategic importance.Shortly after the evacuation, Trump announced plans to send a US hospital ship to Greenland, claiming that residents were not receiving adequate health care. In a post on his Truth Social platform, he said he was coordinating with Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, his special envoy to Greenland, to deploy a medical ship to help local residents.
But this announcement surprised the Danish authorities. Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said Copenhagen had not been informed of any such deployment.Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen responded to Trump’s claims, defending Denmark’s universal healthcare model. She said that both Denmark and Greenland guarantee free and equal access to medical care, stressing that treatment is not determined by wealth or insurance status.Greenlandic leaders also expressed doubts. Aja Chemnitz, one of Greenland’s representatives in the Danish parliament, criticized the proposal, saying it does not address long-term health care needs and appears more symbolic than practical.Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens Fredrik Nielsen acknowledged the American proposal, but stressed the region’s commitment to the public health care system. While he expressed his openness to cooperation with Washington, he urged respectful dialogue rather than unilateral statements.Denmark’s immediate evacuation of the American crew member highlighted the ongoing operational cooperation between the two allies in the strategically important Arctic region.
