Kremlin envoy proposes ‘Putin-Trump tunnel’ to hyperlink Russia and U.S.
Reuters
An funding envoy for Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday advised Elon Musk and his tunneling enterprise, the Boring Firm, to decide to constructing an undersea rail tunnel by way of the Bering Strait to be partly funded by Moscow.
Kirill Dmitriev, who’s head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, mentioned in posts on Musk’s social media platform X that he envisioned “the Putin-Trump Tunnel – a 70-mile hyperlink symbolizing unity.”
A tunnel like this is able to historically value an estimated $65 billion to construct, Dmitriev mentioned, including that The Boring Firm and its expertise may probably cut back these prices to $8 billion and full the challenge inside eight years.
“Let’s construct a future collectively!” he wrote.
Dmitriev’s suggestion adopted a name between Putin and President Donald Trump on Thursday, throughout which plans had been made to debate potential resolutions to the Ukraine Battle.
Trump mentioned Secretary of State Marco Rubio and different high-level advisors will meet subsequent week with a Russian delegation earlier than Trump and Putin meet in Budapest, Hungary, at a future date.
Musk didn’t reply to a request for remark concerning the proposal.
Development of an undersea tunnel within the Bering Strait would require Musk’s Boring Firm to work by way of below-freezing temperatures in a area with out present infrastructure and with deep and frequent earthquakes.
The Boring Firm has no observe file of working by way of such circumstances.
Its earlier tunneling efforts had been accomplished in scorching, dry places with loads of infrastructure and companies close by.
The Boring Firm was just lately fined and cited by environmental regulators within the state of Nevada for an “extraordinary variety of violations,” ProPublica reported, citing public information. These violations included: digging with out approval, releasing untreated water onto metropolis streets and spilling waste from vehicles.
The Boring Firm is now engaged on a 10-mile tunnel challenge from downtown Nashville, Tennessee, to its airport, dubbed the Music Metropolis Loop. Residents protested, partially, because of the lack of planning earlier than The Boring Firm challenge was approved within the flood-prone metropolis.
U.S. President Donald Trump (R) walks with Russian President Vladimir Putin as they arrives at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson on August 15, 2025 in Anchorage, Alaska.
Andrew Harnik | Getty Pictures
Musk’s automaker, Tesla, has provide chain ties to Russia, and the CEO has spoken with Putin about different issues up to now few years.
The EV maker has bought tens of millions of euros price of aluminum from Rusal, an organization based by sanctioned Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, CNBC beforehand reported.
Musk held secret talks with Putin in 2022, the Wall Road Journal reported in October 2024.
In a single occasion, Putin had pressured Musk to direct SpaceX to withold Starlink, its satellite tv for pc web communications service, from Taiwan as a favor to Chinese language President Xi Jinping, the Journal reported, citing two individuals briefed on the request.
Beijing is a vital ally to the Kremlin.
The conversations between Musk and Putin, who as soon as ran the KGB, reportedly occurred as Musk was within the midst of a leveraged buyout and takeover of Twitter, now often known as X.
Working with NASA, Musk’s aerospace and protection contractor, SpaceX, has additionally launched Russian cosmonauts to the Worldwide Area Station.
