Trump taps former acting U.S. attorney general to serve as NATO ambassador

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said Wednesday he will nominate Matthew Whitaker, former acting U.S. attorney general, to serve as Washington's ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Trump said in an announcement on social media that Whitaker, from the state of Iowa, "will strengthen relationships with our NATO Allies, and stand firm in the face of threats to Peace and Stability -- He will put AMERICA FIRST."

In addition to serving as the former Trump administration's acting attorney general between November 2018 and February 2019, Whitaker is also the former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Iowa. He is a graduate of the University of Iowa.

Whitaker's nomination came as new development was unfolding on the battleground in Ukraine, following the recent authorization by outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden for Ukraine to use American-supplied long-range ballistic missile -- known as Army Tactic Missile System -- to strike targets inside Russian territory.

Upon receiving the permission, the Ukrainian forces fired several ATACMS missiles toward Russia's Bryansk Oblast on Tuesday, according to U.S. officials.