Zelensky Opposes Russia-US Tunnel Proposal as Putin-Trump Unity Project Unveiled
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has publicly expressed opposition to a Russian-proposed tunnel project linking Alaska to Russia via the Bering Strait, which was floated by Russian presidential aide Kirill Dmitriev as a ‘Putin-Trump unity tunnel.’ The project, estimated to cost over $65 billion, involves a 70-mile rail and cargo link and has attracted interest from Elon Musk’s Boring Company. While US President Donald Trump found the idea ‘interesting,’ Zelensky voiced his dissatisfaction, highlighting the political sensitivity of such a large-scale infrastructure initiative.
The proposal, unveiled in the context of renewed Russian-US economic cooperation following a recent summit in Alaska, has sparked debate over potential geopolitical implications and the involvement of private sector innovation. The project’s potential to unlock joint natural resource exploration has further fueled discussions about its feasibility and strategic importance.
Dmitriev, who also serves as head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund (RDIF), invited billionaire Elon Musk to offer his Boring Company, which builds underground ‘Loop’ transport systems. The Russia-US tunnel project could cost over $65 billion, according to Dmitriev, who said that Musk’s Boring Company technology could cut it by 90% to under $8 billion and finish it within eight years. Dmitriev added that the RDIF, which helped build the first Russia-China rail bridge, was ready to take part.
The Bering Strait, which is 51 miles wide at its narrowest point, separates Russia’s Chukotka Region from Alaska in the US. Dmitriev’s proposal followed Republican Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna’s release of declassified Soviet files on the assassination of JFK, shared by Moscow this week. In addition to documents on the killing, the 350-page trove included a ‘Khrushchev-Kennedy Bridge’ project to link the two nations.
Dmitriev’s idea came shortly after Thursday’s phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart. The two leaders, who in August held a summit in Alaska, have signaled plans to expand economic cooperation, and are expected to meet again in Hungary within two weeks for further talks.