WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Friday he was nominating Kelly Craft, currently the U.S. ambassador to Canada, as his envoy to the United Nations.

Craft, a top Republican donor from Kentucky, rose this week as a serious contender for the post based on a recommendation by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a fellow Kentuckian.

It was not immediately clear if Craft would hold a Cabinet-level position, as the previous ambassador Nikki Haley did. Regardless, she will need to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

"Kelly has done an outstanding job representing our Nation and I have no doubt that, under her leadership, our Country will be represented at the highest level," Trump said in a tweet announcing his decision.

(Reporting by Mohammad Zargham, Mary Milliken and Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Chris Reese and James Dalgleish)