President Donald Trump on Friday described as “interesting” a Russian proposal for Elon Musk’s tunneling company, The Boring Company, to construct an undersea rail tunnel connecting Russia and Alaska through the Bering Strait — a project that could carry both immense geopolitical symbolism and staggering engineering challenges.
The suggestion, made by Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund and a close investment envoy for President Vladimir Putin, envisions a 70-mile tunnel that he described as a “link symbolizing unity” between the two nations. Dmitriev said the project, which would traditionally cost around $65 billion, could be completed for about $8 billion using The Boring Company’s tunneling technology, with an estimated completion time of eight years.
“Let’s build a future together!” Dmitriev wrote on X, Musk’s social media platform, where he first floated the proposal.
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Trump, asked about the idea during a press briefing, responded, “That’s an interesting one. We’ll have to think about that. I hadn’t heard that.”
The timing of the proposal is notable. Dmitriev’s statement followed a call between Putin and Trump on Thursday, during which both leaders reportedly discussed potential pathways toward ending the war in Ukraine. Trump revealed that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other senior U.S. officials would meet next week with a Russian delegation to discuss the matter further, ahead of a future summit between Trump and Putin in Budapest, Hungary.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reacted swiftly to the development, saying he was “not happy” with Trump’s response, underscoring Kyiv’s concern that U.S.–Russia cooperation on such a grand infrastructure project could signal a thaw in relations that might weaken Western resolve in supporting Ukraine’s war effort.
While Musk has not publicly commented on the proposal, The Boring Company’s involvement would mark a major departure from its previous projects, which have focused on urban tunneling initiatives in warm, dry environments with robust infrastructure. Building an undersea tunnel beneath the Bering Strait, one of the world’s coldest and most geologically unstable regions, would pose extraordinary challenges. The region is plagued by deep seismic activity and permafrost conditions, factors that would complicate drilling and engineering efforts.
The Boring Company, headquartered in Texas, has no history of working in such extreme environments. Its most recent completed projects include short tunnel systems in Las Vegas and testing facilities in California. The company’s new project in Nashville, Tennessee — a 10-mile tunnel linking downtown to the city’s airport — has already drawn protests from residents who argue that planning was rushed and overlooked flood risks in the low-lying city.
In addition, The Boring Company has faced regulatory scrutiny. Earlier this year, environmental regulators in Nevada fined and cited the firm for what ProPublica described as an “extraordinary number of violations,” including unauthorized digging, dumping waste water onto public streets, and spilling debris from trucks.
Beyond the engineering difficulties, the proposed Bering Strait tunnel raises complex geopolitical and security concerns. A physical link between Russia and the United States would be unprecedented in modern history. The 55-mile Channel Tunnel connecting Britain and France cost roughly $16 billion and took six years to complete — but was constructed in a politically stable region with mild environmental conditions.
By contrast, the Bering Strait lies between two rival powers whose relations have deteriorated sharply in recent years over sanctions, cyberattacks, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Any joint infrastructure project would require years of negotiation and cooperation, potentially becoming a political flashpoint in Washington and among U.S. allies.
The proposal also comes amid renewed scrutiny of Musk’s international dealings. Tesla, Musk’s electric vehicle company, has supply chain links to Russian firms. CNBC previously reported that Tesla purchased millions of euros worth of aluminum from Rusal, a company founded by sanctioned oligarch Oleg Deripaska. Musk has also had prior contact with Putin, including what the Wall Street Journal described as secret discussions in 2022 and 2024 about the use of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite network.
According to the Journal’s October 2024 report, Putin had allegedly pressured Musk to limit Starlink’s service in Taiwan at the request of Chinese President Xi Jinping, who remains one of the Kremlin’s most powerful allies. The conversations reportedly took place as Musk was in the middle of his $44 billion takeover of Twitter, now renamed X.
However, Musk’s companies continue to maintain working relationships with Russian entities. SpaceX, under contract with NASA, has launched Russian cosmonauts to the International Space Station as part of a long-standing collaboration between the U.S. and Russian space programs.
The proposed tunnel, if realized, would mark one of the most ambitious engineering undertakings in modern history — a 70-mile undersea connection across one of the most treacherous bodies of water on Earth, linking two continents separated by decades of political hostility.
While Dmitriev presented the idea as a gesture of unity, many observers see it as a strategic play by Moscow to reassert global relevance amid Western sanctions and wartime isolation. Analysts say the plan could be an attempt to court Musk, whose influence in technology and communications has grown exponentially in recent years, while also testing Washington’s openness to deeper engagement with Russia under Trump’s administration.
For now, the proposal remains just that — a proposal. Trump has said he will “think about it,” but the idea has already sparked intense discussion across diplomatic circles. With Trump and Putin preparing for another round of talks, the notion of a tunnel linking Alaska and Siberia adds a dramatic new layer to the topics of discussion.