Kirill Dmitriev has invited Elon Musk to join the project, saying his infrastructure firm could build the 70-mile route in under eight years

Russia and the US should build a direct rail tunnel under the Bering Strait to link the two countries, Russian presidential aide Kirill Dmitriev has suggested.

In a post on X on Thursday, Dmitriev, who also serves as head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund (RDIF), said both nations would benefit from the route and invited billionaire Elon Musk to join through his Boring Company, which builds underground "Loop" transport systems.

"Elon Musk, imagine connecting the US and Russia, the Americas and Afro-Eurasia with the Putin-Trump Tunnel - a 70-mile link symbolizing unity," Dmitriev wrote on X, saying the project would spur resource exploration, create jobs, and boost both economies. "Let's build a future together... The time has come to connect Russia and the US."

Dmitriev's remarks followed Republican Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna's release of declassified Soviet files on the assassination of JFK, shared by Moscow this week. In addition to documents on the killing, the 350-page trove included a "Khrushchev-Kennedy Bridge" project to link the two nations.

Dmitriev reposted a drawing marked "Kennedy-Khrushchev World Peace Bridge could and should be built between Alaska and Russia at once," calling the vision of a US-Russia link via the Bering Strait "enduring."

Dmitriev said that while the tunnel project could cost over $65 billion, Boring Company technology could cut it by 90% to under $8 billion and finish it within eight years. He added that the RDIF, which helped build the first Russia-China rail bridge, was ready to take part.

Musk has yet to respond. Dmitriev previously invited the billionaire to join a US-Russia partnership for Mars exploration following Musk's announcement of a 2026 mission to the Red Planet. Russian President Vladimir Putin also voiced support for cooperation with Musk, saying Russian companies could benefit from joint projects.

Dmitriev's proposal comes amid a thaw in Moscow-Washington ties after years of tension over Ukraine. Since Donald Trump's return to office in January, the sides have held several high-level meetings, including a Putin-Trump summit in Alaska in August.

The leaders signaled plans to expand economic cooperation and areexpectedto meet again in Hungary within two weeks for further talks.

(RT.com)