Kremlin Envoy Pitches ‘Putin–Trump’ Bering Strait Tunnel Linking Russia and U.S.

Overview

• Kirill Dmitriev proposes a 112 km freight and rail tunnel under the Bering Strait, priced at about $8 billion and targeted for completion in under eight years.
• Funding is described as coming from Moscow with international partners, and RDIF cites its role in the first Russia–China rail bridge, but no U.S. or private-sector commitments are confirmed.
• Dmitriev urges Elon Musk’s The Boring Company to build the link, claiming its technology could cut traditional estimates above $65 billion to under $8 billion.
• The proposal was unveiled after a Putin–Trump phone call and ahead of a planned meeting in Budapest to explore ways to end the war in Ukraine.
• Coverage notes major hurdles including Arctic engineering conditions and sparse transport links in Russia’s Chukotka, and neither Musk nor Trump has responded publicly.