In a humanitarian gesture amid simmering geopolitical tensions, Denmark’s military evacuated a crew member from a US submarine near Greenland for urgent medical treatment, even as US President Donald Trump’s proposal to send a hospital ship to the Arctic territory triggered sharp political reactions.
According to Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command, the evacuation took place on Saturday about 7 nautical miles off Nuuk, Greenland’s capital.
A Danish Seahawk helicopter, deployed from an inspection vessel, airlifted the crew member and transported them to a hospital in Nuuk for immediate care. Authorities did not disclose details about the medical emergency but confirmed the operation was conducted swiftly to ensure the individual’s safety.
The rescue comes at a sensitive time, as diplomatic strains have grown between NATO allies Denmark and the United States over renewed US interest in Greenland, a mineral-rich and strategically significant Arctic territory.
Soon after the evacuation, Trump announced plans to send a US hospital ship to Greenland, claiming residents were not receiving adequate healthcare.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, he said he was coordinating with Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, his special envoy for Greenland, to deploy a medical vessel to assist locals.
The announcement, however, caught Danish authorities off guard. Danish defence minister Troels Lund Poulsen said Copenhagen had not been informed of any such deployment.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen pushed back against Trump’s claims, defending Denmark’s universal healthcare model. She said both Denmark and Greenland ensure free and equal access to medical care, stressing that treatment is not determined by wealth or insurance status.
Greenlandic leaders also voiced skepticism. Aaja Chemnitz, one of Greenland’s representatives in the Danish parliament, criticised the proposal, saying it did not address long-term healthcare needs and appeared more symbolic than practical.
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen acknowledged the US proposal but emphasised the territory’s commitment to its public healthcare system. While expressing openness to cooperation with Washington, he urged respectful dialogue instead of unilateral announcements.
Denmark’s prompt evacuation of the US crew member highlighted continued operational cooperation between the two allies in the strategically vital Arctic region.
