Donald Trump is poised to name Rex Tillerson, chief executive of ExxonMobil, as his secretary of state, ignoring criticism that the oil and gas man is too close to Russian president Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin.

Mr Trump tweeted on Monday that he would formally unveil his choice for the high-profile cabinet position on Tuesday morning. US media reported that he had decided on Mr Tillerson following a messy search that saw everyone from David Petraeus, the retired general, to Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee, paraded publicly through Trump Tower ahead of interviews with the president-elect.

In appointing Mr Tillerson, a 41-year veteran of Exxon, Mr Trump is maintaining his preference for officials with no executive experience in government. Mr Tillerson will work closely with James Mattis, the retired general chosen to head the Pentagon, and Michael Flynn, the national security adviser.