Washington, Nov 21 (IANS): US President-elect Donald Trump said that he will nominate former acting Attorney General, Matthew Whitaker, to serve as Washington's Ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (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", Xinhua news agency reported.

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

Whitaker's nomination came as a new development was unfolding on the battleground in Ukraine, following the recent authorisation by outgoing US President Joe Biden for Ukraine to use American-supplied long-range ballistic missile -- known as Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) -- 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 US officials.