❓WHAT HAPPENED: A Kremlin envoy proposed a rail tunnel between Russia and Alaska, suggesting it could be built by Elon Musk’s Boring Company.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Kirill Dmitriev, Elon Musk, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and President Donald J. Trump.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The proposal was floated on X (formerly Twitter), following discussions between Putin and Trump in Alaska in August.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Elon Musk, imagine connecting the U.S. and Russia, the Americas and Afro-Eurasia, with the Putin-Trump Tunnel – a 70-mile link symbolising unity.” – Kirill Dmitriev
🎯IMPACT: The proposal aims to connect continents and promote economic and political collaboration, though challenges related to logistics and the Ukraine war make it appear unlikely.
A senior Russian official has proposed building a tunnel beneath the Bering Strait to connect the Russian Far East with Alaska, reviving a decades-old vision of linking Eurasia and North America. Kirill Dmitriev, Moscow’s special envoy for economic and investment cooperation, introduced the idea on social media, referring to the project as the “Putin-Trump Tunnel.” The 70-mile rail link, he claimed, could be constructed in just eight years using tunneling technology developed by Elon Musk’s Boring Company.
Dmitriev said the project could cost as little as $8 billion, far below traditional estimates of around $65 billion, and could be jointly funded by Russia and international partners. He presented the tunnel as a symbolic and strategic project, saying it would unite Russia and the United States while enabling shared access to Arctic resources. “Elon Musk, imagine connecting the U.S. and Russia, the Americas and Afro-Eurasia, with the Putin-Trump Tunnel – a 70-mile link symbolising unity,” Dmitriev posted on X. He added that it would establish Musk’s Boring Company as “the most exciting infrastructure innovator ever.”
.@elonmusk, 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! 🇺🇸🤝🇷🇺🧵 👇 https://t.co/boCVb8xqjl pic.twitter.com/QXmTYAduqm
— Kirill Dmitriev (@kadmitriev) October 16, 2025
Dmitriev’s tunnel idea echoes earlier visions of a transcontinental link between Siberia and Alaska, including the so-called “World Peace Bridge” proposed in the 1960s. Asked about the tunnel during a press event alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday, President Donald J. Trump called the proposal “interesting,” while Zelensky said he was “not happy” about it.
Notably, the tunnel suggestion comes amid renewed dialogue between President Donald J. Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin over the Ukraine war. The two met in Alaska in August, where they discussed a possible ceasefire in Ukraine and a framework for future negotiations.
Recent reports indicate the meeting was fractious, with Putin engaging in a “rambling historical discursion spanning medieval princes such as Rurik of Novgorod and Yaroslav the Wise, along with the 17th-century Cossack chieftain Bohdan Khmelnytsky… to support his claim Ukraine and Russia are one nation.” Trump is said to have been unimpressed by Putin’s intransigent attitude, raising his voice “several times.”
More recently, however, Trump has agreed to a second meeting with Putin, with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán saying it will be hosted in Budapest.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: “A tunnel from Russia to Alaska. That’s an interesting—what do you think of that, Mr. President? Do you have any ideas? How do you like that idea?”
UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY: “I’m not happy with this.”
TRUMP: “I don’t think he liked it.” pic.twitter.com/H06ISmaHjj
— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 17, 2025
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