A Kremlin envoy has put forward a striking proposal for a “Putin-Trump” rail tunnel beneath the Bering Strait, suggesting it could link Russia and the United States, facilitate joint natural resource exploration, and “symbolise unity”.
Kirill Dmitriev, President Vladimir Putin’s investment envoy and head of Russia’s RDIF sovereign wealth fund, outlined a vision for an $8 billion construction project.
This ambitious plan, to be funded by Moscow and “international partners”, would create a 70-mile (112-km) rail and cargo connection within eight years.
The idea was floated by Dmitriev, known for spearheading efforts to revive US-Russia relations, shortly after President Putin spoke with US President Donald Trump by phone.
The two leaders agreed to meet in Budapest to address the conflict in Ukraine.
Dmitriev stated on X: “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.
“RDIF has studied existing proposals, including the US–Canada–Russia–China railroad, and will support the most viable.”
The Bering Strait, which is 51 miles (82 km) wide at its narrowest point, separates Russia’s Chukotka region from Alaska.
Concepts to bridge these two landmasses have existed for at least 150 years, though none have ever progressed beyond the planning stage.
Dmitriev, who has forged ties with Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy, and spoken of the possibility of US energy majors taking minority stakes in Russian projects in the Arctic, suggested the tunnel could be built by The Boring Company, a US tunnel construction company owned by Elon Musk.
“Imagine connecting the US and Russia, the Americas and the Afro-Eurasia with the Putin-Trump Tunnel – a 70-mile link symbolizing unity. Traditional costs are $65B+, but @boringcompany’s tech could reduce it to <$8B. Let's build a future together," Dmitriev wrote to Musk on X.
There was no immediate public response to the idea from Musk or Trump.
Dmitriev said a similar idea – to build a “Kennedy-Khrushchev World Peace Bridge” – had been floated during the Cold War and published a sketch from that era of the route it might have taken, along with a graphic showing the route the new tunnel could take 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.
“The time has come to connect Russia and the US,” said Dmitriev.
