The Kremlin Wants Elon Musk to Build a Tunnel From Russia to the U.S.

Building a tunnel across the Bering Strait from Russia to Alaska is an idea that has been around since the 1950s. And the Kremlin apparently thinks it’s good enough to revive it, if the CEO of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund is to be believed.

Russian Direct Investment Fund CEO Kirill Dmitriev tweeted the idea on Thursday, complete with a map of where the tunnel could be built. And he thinks billionaire oligarch Elon Musk would be the man to do it.

“@elonmusk, imagine connecting the US and Russia, the Americas and Afro-Eurasia with the Putin-Trump tunnel – a 70-mile link symbolizing unity. Traditional cost $65B+, but @boringcompany’s technology can reduce that to <$8B. Let's build a future together!" Dmitriev Tweet.

President Donald Trump was asked about the proposal by a reporter at the White House during a press availability with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday. Trump called the idea an “interesting one,” but said, “We’ll have to think about it. I haven’t heard of it,” according to CNBC.

How much of a tunnel would be possible? In theory, this is entirely possible. But Elon Musk might not be the guy to do it. The billionaire CEO over-promised and under-delivered on his tunneling project. Musk often floats big ideas, but when it comes time to actually do them, he’ll often come up with something far less fantastic.

Dmitriev tweeted about the proposal for a “Kennedy-Khrushchev world peace bridge,” which was envisioned in the early 1960s.

Released from the Soviet JFK Docs @Repluna: The Kennedy-Khrushchev World Peace Bridge “could and should be built at once between Alaska and Russia.”

modern with @Boring Company Technology It could become a Putin-Trump tunnel that would connect Eurasia and America for <$8 billion. pic.twitter.com/c84VK75rh5

— Kirill Dmitriev (@Kadmitriev) October 16, 2025

But the concept is older, as you can see from the March 3, 1959, edition of Arthur Radbaugh’s “Closer Than We Think.” Sunday comic strip.

From the strip:

Sen. Magnuson of Washington has a bold new idea to connect our new state of Alaska to Siberia via a bridge or vehicular tunnel 30 to 40 miles long across the shallow water Bering Strait. It will run from Wales to the tip of the Seward Peninsula, Little Diomede and Big Diomede Islands, thence to Payak in Siberia.

The senator foresees this hook-up within the lifetime of the current generation, creating a rail and highway route between points as far away as New York and Paris. “I’m sure,” he says, “that the tourists who ride this trail one day will be our best ambassadors!”

Is the idea of ​​a tunnel connecting Russia and the United States a troll by the Russian government to poke Trump at a time when the country is waging war on Ukraine? Almost guaranteed. But that doesn’t mean a tunnel can’t happen in the future. Especially if Trump makes another wild pivot and decides he no longer wants to help Ukraine.

In fact, there were signs that Trump was ready to throw in the towel on Friday. Trump True social posts about his meeting with Zelensky, describing it as “very interesting and cordial” and saying he wanted the killing to stop and the Ukrainian leader to make a deal. And then he moved into some strange territory.

“Enough blood has been shed, property lines are defined by war and courage. They must stop where they are. Let both claim victory, let history decide! No more shooting, no more death, no more massive and sustained money spent. This is a war that would never have started if I were president. Thousands are being killed and killed every week. May your family rest in peace!” Trump wrote.

We may or may not get a tunnel between the US and Russia soon. But it seems that peace between Russia and Ukraine is further away than ever.