Trump to nominate former envoy to China as Russia ambassador

US President Donald Trump will nominate Jon Huntsman, an envoy to China under former Democratic President Barack Obama, as US ambassador to Russia, a White House official said.

The job, all the more high-profile because of allegations that Russia intervened in the 2016 US presidential election, requires confirmation by the US Senate.

If confirmed, Huntsman, who has long been expected to be Trump's pick for the job, will head to Moscow as Congress and a special counsel investigate Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and allegations that Trump's campaign had ties with Moscow.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has denied the interference, and Trump has said there was no collusion with Moscow.

Huntsman, a former Utah governor, was US ambassador to China from 2009 to 2011. He has served in the administrations of five US presidents and was a candidate for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.

Trump has said he wants to improve relations with Russia. The Republican president held two meetings with Putin in Germany at the gathering of G20 leaders there and officials said he raised the issue of Russian meddling in the election before moving on to other issues such as the war in Syria.

Reports in March that Huntsman would get the Russia envoy post were greeted with mixed reviews in Moscow, with one politician saying he was "not a dove" and the Kremlin saying it would welcome anyone who was a "convinced proponent" of establishing a dialogue with Russia.

(REUTERS)