Biden Nominates Academic Gutmann as US Envoy to Germany: Sources

President Joe Biden has nominated academic Amy Gutmann as U.S. ambassador to Germany, three sources familiar with the issue said on Wednesday, as the two countries seek to rebuild relations that cooled under former President Donald Trump.

Gutmann, 71, who would be the first woman to serve in the role and whose father fled Nazi Germany, is currently president of the University of Pennsylvania.

Her nomination was handed to German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on June 18, one of the sources told Reuters. If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Gutmann would replace interim appointee Robin Quinville.

Quinville took over last year from Richard Grenell, a Trump ally who stepped down after little more than two years in the job.

"With Amy Gutmann, Joe Biden is relying on an experienced bridge builder. She is taking on a difficult legacy after Richard Grenell," Johann Wadephul, deputy parliamentary leader of Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative alliance, told Reuters.

During his tenure, Grenell accused Germany of undermining NATO's nuclear deterrent and criticized Berlin's involvement in the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia.

The standoff over the pipeline has strained ties between Berlin and Washington. The Biden administration last month waived sanctions on the company behind it.

The U.S. embassy in Berlin and the German foreign ministry were not immediately available for comment on Gutmann's nomination, which was reported first by Spiegel magazine.