Greenland does not need medical assistance from other countries, Denmark’s defence minister said on Sunday, after United States President Donald Trump claimed he was sending a hospital ship to the autonomous Danish territory that he covets.

“The Greenlandic population receives the healthcare it needs. They 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,” Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen told Danish broadcaster DR.

Lund Poulsen told DR 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 a social media post, Trump had said the boat would treat many “sick” people in Greenland, without providing any details on who he was referring to or the number of people the vessel would help.

“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,” Trump wrote in a social media post.

“It’s on the way!!!” he added.

The post on his Truth Social platform carried an apparent AI image that depicted the USNS Mercy — a 272-meter vessel that is typically stationed in southern California — sailing toward snowcapped mountains on the horizon.

Trump said in the post that the ship would be sent in coordination with Gov. Jeff Landry (R-LA), who was named as Trump’s envoy to the Arctic island in December.

Earlier on Saturday, Denmark’s Arctic Command announced that it had evacuated a crew member of a US submarine off the coast of Nuuk after the sailor requested urgent medical attention.

Trump has said the US must control Greenland to ensure its security, though he has backed off from earlier threats to seize it after striking a “framework” deal with Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte to ensure greater US influence.

In Greenland, 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 territory.

The Greenlandic local government signed an agreement with Copenhagen in early February to improve the treatment of Greenlandic patients in Danish hospitals.