Russia aims to complete design of "Putin–Trump tunnel" by end-2026

Russia hopes to complete the design of the “Putin–Trump tunnel” under the Bering Strait by the end of 2026 and believes that even China could join the project.

This was stated by Russia’s presidential special representative for investment and economic cooperation with foreign countries and CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), Kirill Dmitriev, in comments to Interfax.

“We hope to complete the design by the end of this year. Again, the decision on construction will be made based on the results of the design. We are moving forward with this project. It is very important: even in tsarist times a similar project was discussed, it was discussed during Stalin’s time, it was discussed as a bridge of peace between Khrushchev and Kennedy. So in various modifications it has been discussed for a long time,” he said.

“We believe that even China could join this project, because it will have important infrastructural significance in connecting the continents together,” Dmitriev noted.

In addition, he said the economic feasibility of the project is being assessed. “Design is very important. We see that modern technologies make it possible to significantly reduce costs, possibly by 10 times compared to previous technologies. Therefore, everything is in process, we will keep you informed as it progresses,” Dmitriev added.

“We undertake only economically justified, viable projects,” he stressed, responding to a question about the usefulness of such a tunnel. “There are many joint resource projects, including between Russia and the United States, Russia and China, that could use this infrastructure. We are in the process of economically confirming our assumptions, but, of course, [the project] will be implemented only if it has strong economic feasibility, in addition to being a project that connects continents and has important historical significance. Economic feasibility is always the foundation.”

By Tamilla Hasanova