"I am pleased to announce that I will nominate Mike Waltz as the next US ambassador to the UN. From his time in uniform on the battlefield, in Congress, and as my national security advisor, Mike Walsh has worked tirelessly to put our nation's interests first. I know he will do the same in his new role," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Acting Secretary of State Marco Rubio will take over as national security adviser while continuing to lead the State Department, he added.

On May 1, Fox News reported that Waltz and his deputy Alex Wong had been fired from the Trump administration after information was leaked from a Signal chat group containing sensitive military discussions.

Waltz, a former Florida congressman and Green Beret recipient, had been under pressure since March, when the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic revealed that he had been accidentally added to a Signal chat group in which senior officials, including Waltz, Defense Secretary Pete Hetset, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, discussed military strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen.

Waltz also created and moderated other Signal groups with cabinet members, including one on peace between Russia and Ukraine.

He later took full responsibility for the March incident, calling it "shameful" in an interview.

Earlier, Waltz criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, suggesting that he was not sincerely seeking an end to the war with Russia. He also pressed Kiev to sign the minerals agreement, saying that Ukraine "needs to soften its tone, look at reality and sign the agreement."

Steve Whitkof, a special envoy for US President Donald Trump and his longtime ally, is being considered as a possible replacement for Walz.

Witkoff, a real estate entrepreneur with limited diplomatic experience, has raised concerns among some officials because of his alignment with Russia's position and his informal role in key international negotiations, including the US negotiations with Iran and efforts to end Russia's war in Ukraine.

He has recently emerged as Trump's de facto personal envoy to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Witkoff has been to Moscow at least four times for talks with the Russian president and other senior officials. | BGNES