【By Observer News, Qi Qian】
On October 17 local time, Kirill Dmitriev, Russia's special representative for foreign investment and economic cooperation and president of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), stated that Russia and the United States should build a "Putin-Trump" railway tunnel under the Bering Strait to connect the two countries, open joint natural resource exploration, and "symbolize unity."
Dmitriev posted a route sketch on the social media platform X on the same day, citing a Soviet-era document stating that the "Kennedy-Hurricane World Peace Bridge" could and should be immediately built between Alaska and Russia.
He mentioned Musk: "Imagine connecting the US and Russia, the Americas and Africa-Eurasia with the Putin-Trump tunnel. This 70-mile (approximately 112 km) long tunnel symbolizes unity. Traditional costs exceed $6.5 billion, but Boring Company's technology can reduce it to $800 million. Let's work together to create the future."
It is introduced that The Boring Company is an American tunnel construction company under Musk. However, Musk has not responded publicly yet.
Route sketch published by Dmitriev on X account
"The Russian Direct Investment Fund has invested in and built the first Russia-China railway bridge. Now it's time to connect the continent for the first time, connecting Russia and the US," he also said, "the dream of connecting the US and Russia through the Bering Strait reflects a lasting vision... The Russian Direct Investment Fund has studied existing proposals, including the construction of the US-Canada-Russia-China railway, and will support the most feasible option."
Subsequently, Dmitriev shared a video of a response from U.S. President Trump during his meeting with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on this issue.
In the video, a reporter asked about this idea, and Trump called it "interesting" and asked Zelenskyy's opinion. Zelenskyy directly said, "I don't like this idea," which caused laughter.
Screenshot of the tweet
According to the Russian International News Agency, Dmitriev estimates that the project would take less than 8 years, opening the way for joint development of resources between Russia and the United States, creating jobs in both countries, and stimulating the economy.
Reuters mentioned that the Bering Strait is about 82 kilometers wide at its narrowest point, separating Russia's vast and sparsely populated Chukchi region from Alaska, USA. The idea of connecting the two places has existed for at least 150 years. The small Diomede Islands in the middle of the strait are partially under Russian jurisdiction and partially under American jurisdiction, with only about 4 kilometers between them.
However, the report noted that not only the tunnel itself, but also the construction and upgrading of infrastructure on both sides of the strait would be extremely costly.
Photo of Dmitriev
Public information shows that Kirill Dmitriev is 50 years old, graduated from Stanford University and Harvard Business School, and previously worked at American financial institutions such as Goldman Sachs and McKinsey & Company. He currently serves as Russia's special representative for foreign investment and economic cooperation and president of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), managing a sovereign wealth fund of approximately $10 billion.
Dmitriev was appointed as the special representative of the president in February 2025, responsible for coordinating foreign investment matters.
On April 3, as the first high-level Russian official to visit the United States after the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict, he discussed a ceasefire agreement and economic cooperation with U.S. presidential envoy Witkowsky in Washington, proposing joint investment projects involving rare earth minerals and Arctic development. In August, he participated in the Russia-US summit in Alaska as a member of the delegation, during which he posted a video on social media of encountering a bear, which attracted attention.
Earlier this year, the Wall Street Journal reported that Dmitriev is "absolutely loyal" to Putin and holds a unique position within the Kremlin power structure: he has influence in finance, diplomacy, and politics, but has never served in the Russian security agencies. The report mentioned that his wife is a close friend of Putin's younger daughter and has business dealings with her.
According to reports, on the afternoon of the 16th, Putin had a phone call with Trump. This call came nearly two months after their last one.
Trump stated that they mainly discussed ending the Ukraine conflict and subsequent Russia-US trade issues, saying "there was significant progress." Trump also said that he and Putin would meet face-to-face in Budapest, the capital of Hungary.
Regarding this, Lin Jian, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, responded that China supports all efforts conducive to the peaceful resolution of the crisis and is pleased to see Russia and the United States maintain contact, improve bilateral relations, and promote the political solution to the Ukraine crisis.
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