U.S. ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman is resigning

United States Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman has just submitted his resignation to President Trump, The Salt Lake Tribune reports.

Huntsman, who has served as U.S. ambassador to Russia since 2017 and was U.S. ambassador to China under former President Obama, says in his resignation letter that he is "honored" to have had the president's trust "during this historically difficult period in bilateral relations."

He goes on to write that "going forward, we must continue to hold Russia accountable when its behavior threatens us and our allies."

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The reason Huntsman cites for his resignation is his and wife's desire to "return to the United States after two years to reconnect with our growing family and responsibilities at home." But The Atlantic previously reported that Huntsman is also "seriously considering" running for Utah governor, a job he held from 2005 through 2009. His resignation is effective Oct. 3.