Washington: US President Donald Trump has told NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte that American control of Greenland is necessary to enhance international security, escalating his campaign to annex the strategic Arctic island. “You know, Mark, we need that for international security, not just security – international – we have a lot of our favourite players cruising around the coast, and we have to be careful,” Trump told Rutte as they sat side-by-side in the White House Oval Office for talks. “We’ll be talking to you.” Asked directly about the prospect of annexation, Trump said: “I think that will happen.” Trump has made annexation of Greenland a major talking point since he took office on January 20. His comments on Friday (AEDT) suggested he might want NATO involved in his attempt to take over the island, a semi-autonomous Danish territory.