(MENAFN) Moscow and Washington have begun early-stage negotiations regarding the potential development of a tunnel beneath the Bering Strait, aimed at physically linking the two nations.

This claim was made by Russian Presidential Envoy for Economic Affairs, Kirill Dmitriev.

“Discussions on the tunnel begin,” Dmitriev declared on Friday via the U.S.-based social media platform, X. Dmitriev, who is also the director of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), suggested that such cooperation could mark a major infrastructure milestone.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump expressed intrigue regarding the tunnel concept during a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, held at the White House on Friday.

He described the idea to construct a tunnel across the Bering Strait — enabling railway connection between Russia and the United States — as “interesting.”

According to Dmitriev, the proposed project could be completed in fewer than eight years and cost under $8 billion.

This estimate is significantly lower than the traditional figure of $65 billion, largely due to advanced technologies developed by The Boring Company, owned by American entrepreneur Elon Musk.

The Russian official referred to the initiative as the “Putin-Trump Tunnel,” highlighting its promise in areas such as collaborative resource development, employment generation, and long-term economic expansion.

Dmitriev also mentioned that the RDIF has prior experience with large-scale infrastructure efforts, including cross-border railway bridges, such as the one connecting Russia with China.

MENAFN18102025000045017167ID1110214237