Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen has firmly rejected an offer by Donald Trump to send a US hospital ship to the Arctic island, saying Greenland’s public healthcare system already provides free treatment for all citizens.

Trump said in a post on social media that he planned to dispatch a hospital boat carrying medical supplies to Greenland, claiming that many people there were sick and “not being taken care of”. The post included an image resembling the USNS Mercy, one of two hospital ships operated by the US Navy.

Responding on Facebook, Nielsen said the proposal was unnecessary and added that healthcare in Greenland is publicly funded and free, unlike in the United States. “It’s going to be a no thanks from us,” he said, while stressing that Greenland remains open to cooperation with Washington.

The Greenland leader also urged Trump to engage through direct dialogue rather than what he described as “random outbursts on social media”.

Trump has long expressed interest in Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, though he said in January he would not attempt to take the island by force. He later announced a vague “framework for a future deal” involving Greenland, after Denmark and NATO allies rejected any suggestion of relinquishing sovereignty.

It was unclear what prompted Trump’s latest remarks. They came shortly after Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command said a crew member from a US submarine near Nuuk had been evacuated for urgent medical treatment, though no official link was confirmed.

Despite the public rebuff, Nielsen said Greenland was willing to work with the United States, provided discussions are held respectfully and through proper channels.

With inputs from BBC