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A senior Kremlin envoy has proposed constructing a rail and cargo tunnel under the Bering Strait to connect Russia and the United States — a project he says would “symbolise unity” and open new frontiers for joint exploration of natural resources.
The idea, floated by Kirill Dmitriev, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s investment envoy and head of the sovereign wealth fund RDIF, envisions a 112-kilometre (km) undersea link costing about $8 billion to be completed within eight years with funding from Moscow and “international partners.”
The proposal came shortly after Putin’s phone call with US President Donald Trump, during which the two leaders reportedly agreed to meet in Budapest to discuss efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
A revived 20th-century vision
“The dream of a US–Russia link via the Bering Strait reflects an enduring vision — from the 1904 Siberia–Alaska railway to Russia’s 2007 plan,” Dmitriev wrote on X. “RDIF has studied existing proposals, including the US–Canada–Russia–China railroad, and will support the most viable (option).”
The Bering Strait, only 82 km wide at its narrowest point, separates Russia’s Chukotka region from Alaska. Various plans for a transcontinental link between the two countries have surfaced over the past 150 years, but none have advanced beyond the conceptual stage.
Possible involvement of Musk
Dmitriev suggested the project could be carried out by Elon Musk’s The Boring Company, saying its tunnelling technology could cut costs dramatically.
“Imagine connecting the US and Russia, the Americas and Afro-Eurasia, with the Putin-Trump Tunnel — a 70-mile link symbolising unity,” Dmitriev posted. “Traditional costs are $65B+, but @boringcompany’s tech could reduce it to
From the Soviet JFK docs released by @RepLuna: Kennedy–Khrushchev World Peace Bridge “could and should be built between Alaska and Russia at once.”
With modern @boringcompany technology this can become a Putin-Trump tunnel connecting the Eurasia and Americas for pic.twitter.com/c84VK75rh5
— Kirill Dmitriev (@kadmitriev) October 16, 2025
There has been no immediate response from Musk or Trump.
Dmitriev compared the idea to a Cold War-era plan for a “Kennedy–Khrushchev World Peace Bridge,” publishing a sketch from that period alongside a map of the proposed modern route between Chukotka and Alaska.
“RDIF has already invested in and built the first-ever Russia–China railroad bridge. The time has come to do more and connect the continents for the first time in human history,” Dmitriev said.
While the Kremlin has yet to comment, Dmitriev’s remarks highlight Moscow’s attempts to signal readiness for cooperation with Washington — even as tensions over Ukraine persist.
(With inputs from Reuters)
