Kremlin suggests $8bn 'Putin-Trump tunnel' built by Elon Musk

Kirill Dmitriev, Putin’s envoy and RDIF head, proposed a $8 billion “Putin-Trump” rail tunnel under the Bering Strait, linking Russia’s Chukotka to Alaska. “The time has come to connect Russia and the US,” Dmitriev declared, pitching Musk’s Boring Company for the 70-mile project.

Announced post Putin-Trump call, the tunnel aims to symbolize unity and enable joint Arctic resource exploration. Dmitriev, tied to Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff, suggested U.S. energy firms take Arctic stakes. “Imagine connecting the US and Russia,” he wrote on X, claiming Musk’s tech cuts costs from $65 billion.

RDIF, funding the project with “international partners,” studied prior Siberia-Alaska rail plans. Historical Bering Strait concepts, like the Cold War’s “Kennedy-Khrushchev World Peace Bridge,” never materialized. Dmitriev’s pitch follows RDIF’s Russia-China rail bridge, signaling Moscow’s push for geopolitical infrastructure.

The proposal raises concerns of Russian influence via sovereign wealth, especially with Musk’s SpaceX-Tesla ties, amid unconfirmed U.S. involvement. No response came from Musk or Trump. The 51-mile-wide Bering Strait remains unbridged, with Dmitriev’s plan facing scrutiny for espionage risks and political motives.