‘Interesting’: Trump responds to idea of tunnel connecting US and Russia, Zelenskyy says ‘Not happy’
President Trump was asked about the idea of a tunnel connecting Russia and US during a press conference with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday.
October 19, 2025 10:06 AM IST
First published on: Oct 19, 2025 at 10:06 AM IST
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US President Donald Trump and Russia's President Vladimir Putin talk at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. (Photo: Reuters)
US President Donald Trump has reacted to an idea of building a “Putin-Trump” rail tunnel under the Bering Strait to link the United States and Russia that separates the Kremlin’s vast and sparsely spread population in the Chukotka region from Alaska.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s investment envoy and head of Russia’s RDIF sovereign wealth fund, Kirill Dmitriev, first posted the idea on Thursday that envisages the idea of connecting the two countries under the Bering Strait, a construction project costing $8 billion, funded by Moscow and “international partners” to construct a 112 kilometres rail and cargo link in around eight years, Reuters reported.
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President Trump was asked about the idea of a tunnel connecting Russia and US during a press conference with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday, to which he called “Interesting”. Trump also asked Ukraine’s Zelenskyy what he made of the idea, to which the Ukrainian president replied, “I’m not happy with this idea.” Zelenskyy’s response prompted laughter from the US side.
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Dmitriev, who helped revive the Russia-US ties, floated the idea after Trump held a telephonic conversation with Putin and the two leaders agreed to meet in Budapest to seek a way to stop the war in Ukraine, which has been brewing since Russia invaded Kyiv in February 2022.
In a post on X, Dmitriev said, “We started the feasibility study of the Russia-Alaska tunnel six months ago. Russian Direct Investment Fund with partners financed on a commercial basis the first ever railroad bridge between Russia and China.”
Dmitriev added, “The bridge reduced the cargo route by more than 700 kilometres.” The Russian investment envoy directed a message towards billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk suggesting the tunnel could be dug by the billionaire’s construction firm, Boring Company. Musk has not reacted to the post.
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US President Donald Trump and Russia's President Vladimir Putin talk at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. (Photo: Reuters) 
