President Vladimir Putin’s investment envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, has outlined a proposal for a $8 billion tunnel connecting Alaska and Siberia through the Bering Strait, with Elon Musk’s Boring Company as the potential builder. The project, set for completion in eight years, aims to connect the two nations via a 70-mile rail and cargo tunnel. Dmitriev highlighted the potential of the Boring Company’s tunneling technology to dramatically cut costs from an estimated $65 billion to less than $8 billion. This proposal follows recent talks between former President Donald Trump and Putin, with plans for a potential summit in Budapest to discuss ways to end the war in Ukraine.
Dmitriev suggested the Boring Company as the primary contractor, citing their innovative tunneling technology as a viable means to achieve significant cost reductions. The idea of constructing a tunnel between the U.S. and Russia, a project previously proposed in the 1904 Siberia–Alaska railway and again in 2007, could symbolize a new era of cross-border cooperation. The proposal also comes in the wake of ongoing geopolitical tensions, with the U.S. and Russia maintaining complex diplomatic relations. The Bering Strait, which separates Russia’s Siberian regions from Alaska, remains a point of strategic interest. Despite the ambitious nature of the plan, the project would require extensive international collaboration and substantial political will to move forward.