Greenland prime minister says 'no thanks' to Trump's hospital ship

COPENHAGEN, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said on Sunday “no thanks” to U.S. President Donald Trump’s idea of sending a hospital ship to Greenland, a territory that Trump has repeatedly said he wishes to take over.

Trump said on Saturday on social media he was working with Louisiana Governor and special envoy to Greenland, Jeff Landry, to send a hospital boat to Greenland.

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“President Trump’s idea of ​​sending an American hospital ship here to Greenland has been noted. But we have a public healthcare system where treatment is free for citizens. It is a deliberate choice,” Nielsen said in a post on Facebook.

Nielsen said Greenland remained open to dialogue and cooperation, also with the U.S.

“But talk to us instead of just making more or less random outbursts on social media,” he said.

Greenland, Denmark and the U.S. late last month launched diplomatic talks to resolve the crisis, opens new tab between the parties, following months of tension within the NATO defence alliance over Trump’s threats against the Arctic territory.

Trump’s post on the ship came hours after said it had evacuated a crew member who required urgent medical treatment from a U.S. submarine in Greenlandic waters, seven nautical miles outside of Greenland’s capital, Nuuk. It was unclear if the post had any connection to the evacuation.

(This story has been refiled to fix the formatting of the advisory line)

Reporting by Stine Jacobsen, editing by Louise Rasmussen

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