On Friday, June 5, Russia and the US are expected to sign an agreement to begin the design of a massive tunnel connecting Chukotka and Alaska. This was stated by special envoy of the Russian leadership Kirill Dmitriev, whose words are reported by RBK-Ukraine citing Kommersant.
According to Dmitriev, the signing of the document is scheduled for the day after his statement. He assured that the parties would agree to continue the design work, and the implementation of the tunnel construction would become a mandatory stage.
"Putin-Trump Tunnel": from idea to implementation
The idea of creating a transport corridor across the Bering Strait was voiced by Dmitriev back in October of last year. The project received the unofficial name "Putin-Trump tunnel". According to the Russian official's estimates, construction could be completed in eight years, provided the use of technologies by The Boring Company, owned by Elon Musk.
The estimated cost of the project is $8 billion. Dmitriev claimed that the tunnel would open up new opportunities for joint development of natural resources and would become the first direct land connection between continents through the territories of the US and Russia in history.
Washington's reaction and the context of negotiations
US President Donald Trump previously called the idea of building a tunnel "interesting". However, according to The New York Times, in Moscow they expressed fatigue from periodic visits by special envoys of the US President — Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The Russian side declared a desire to move to a new format of negotiations on peace issues.
The signing of an agreement on the design of the tunnel could become an important step in the development of infrastructure projects between the two countries, despite the complex geopolitical situation.