Elon Musk’s Tunnel Project: Kremlin’s Proposal to Connect U.S.

Building a tunnel across the Bering Strait, from Russia to Alaska, is an idea that has existed since at least the 1950s. The Kremlin seems to be considering reviving this proposal, according to the CEO of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund.

Kirill Dmitriev, the CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, tweeted the idea on Thursday, including a map of the proposed tunnel’s location. He believes that billionaire oligarch Elon Musk would be the ideal person to undertake this project.

“@elonmusk, imagine connecting the US and Russia, the Americas and 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!” Dmitriev tweeted.

President Donald Trump was asked about the proposal by a reporter at the White House during a press availability with Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on Friday. Trump described the idea as “interesting,” but stated, “We’ll have to think about that. I hadn’t heard that,” according to CNBC.

How feasible would a tunnel be? Theoretically, it is entirely possible. However, Elon Musk might not be the right person to execute it. The billionaire CEO has a history of over-promising and under-delivering on his tunneling projects. Musk often proposes grand ideas, but when it comes time to actualize them, he frequently delivers something much less ambitious.

Dmitriev also tweeted about a proposal for a “Kennedy-Khrushchev World Peace Bridge,” which was envisioned in the early 1960s.

From the Soviet JFK docs released by @RepLuna: Kennedy–Khrushchev World Peace Bridge “could and should be built between Alaska and Russia at once.”

With modern @boringcompany technology this can become a Putin-Trump tunnel connecting Eurasia and the Americas for < $8 billion pic.twitter.com/c84VK75rh5

— Kirill Dmitriev (@kadmitriev) October 16, 2025

However, the idea is even older, as evidenced by the March 3, 1959, edition of Arthur Radebaugh’s “Closer Than We Think” Sunday comic strip.

From the strip:

Sen. Magnuson of Washington has a bold new idea for linking Alaska with Siberia via a bridge or vehicular tunnel across the 30- to 40-mile stretch of shallow waters of the Bering Strait. It would go from Wales, on the tip of Seward Peninsula, to Little Diomede and Big Diomede Islands, then to Peyak, Siberia.

The Senator predicts this connection within the lifetime of the current generation, creating a rail and highway route between locations as distant as New York and Paris. “I am convinced,” he states, “that the tourists who one day will drive this route will be our best ambassadors!”

Is the idea of a tunnel connecting Russia and the U.S. merely a provocation by the Russian government to tease Trump during a time when the country continues to wage war against Ukraine? Almost certainly. However, that does not rule out the possibility of a tunnel happening in the future, particularly if Trump makes another unexpected pivot and chooses to withdraw support from Ukraine.

In fact, there were indications that Trump is ready to reconsider his stance on Friday. Trump posted on Truth Social about his meeting with Zelenskyy, describing it as “very interesting and cordial,” and expressed his desire for the violence to cease and for the Ukrainian leader to negotiate a deal. He then entered into some peculiar territory.

“Enough blood has been shed, with property lines being defined by War and Guts. They should stop where they are. Let both claim Victory, let History decide! No more shooting, no more Death, no more vast and unsustainable sums of money spent. This is a War that would have never started if I were President. Thousands of people are slaughtered each week — NO MORE, GO HOME TO YOUR FAMILIES IN PEACE!” Trump stated.

We may or may not see a tunnel between the U.S. and Russia in the near future. However, it seems that peace between Russia and Ukraine is further away than ever.