State Dept number two expected to be next US ambassador to Russia

US Department of State number two John Sullivan is expected to be nominated as the new ambassador to Russia, a sensitive position given Donald Trump's mixed relations with Moscow.

"He's somebody that's being put up and respected very much," Trump told reporters when asked if Sullivan -- the deputy secretary of state -- was under consideration to replace former ambassador Jon Huntsman, who left the position earlier this month.

"I know (Secretary of State) Mike Pompeo likes him very much," Trump said of Sullivan's boss.

Trump added that Sullivan "could very well be" the nominee, but the president has yet to announce his official choice, who would need to be confirmed by the Senate.

The New York Times reported Tuesday that Trump intends to nominate Sullivan, 59, who has served as deputy secretary of state since May 2017 and temporarily headed the department for a month in the spring of 2018 after Rex Tillerson's dismissal.

The affable but reserved lawyer has also worked in the departments of justice, defense and commerce under previous administrations, as well as in the private sector.

Although he is not considered a specialist on Russia, Sullivan did lead an American delegation in mid-July for security talks in Geneva, where the US side expressed "concerns about Russia's development and deployment of non-strategic nuclear weapons."