Former Utah Republican governor Jon Huntsman has accepted President Donald Trump's offer to be ambassador to Russia, an administration official said.
The job, which requires Senate confirmation, would put Mr Huntsman in Moscow at a time when US-Russian ties have sunk to a post-Cold War low.
Mr Huntsman served as ambassador to China under Democratic president Barack Obama before launching an unsuccessful bid for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.
Mr Trump has said he wants to improve relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which deteriorated under Mr Obama over issues including Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea and the two countries' backing of opposing sides in the Syrian civil war.
The tensions peaked in December when Mr Obama expelled 35 Russian suspected spies after US intelligence agencies concluded that Russia hacked and leaked Democratic emails during the 2016 election campaign as part of an effort to tilt the vote in Mr Trump's favour.
The Kremlin has denied the allegations.
