"It Will Change Geopolitics": Russia and the US Agree on a Tunnel Through the Bering Strait. Europe Is Being Pushed Aside
Russia and the US Will Sign an Agreement on a Tunnel Through the Bering Strait
The head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), Kirill Dmitriev, made a sensational statement on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum: on June 5, Russia and the United States will sign an agreement on the design of a tunnel through the Bering Strait. The 112-kilometer artery could not only connect Chukotka with Alaska but also fundamentally reshape global logistics flows, leaving Europe on the sidelines.
Breakthrough of the Century
Russia and the United States will sign an agreement on Friday, June 5, to design a tunnel that will pass through the Bering Strait and connect Chukotka with Alaska, said Kirill Dmitriev, the Russian president's special representative for investment and economic cooperation with foreign countries and head of the RDIF, at the SPIEF.
Technical preparation for the implementation of the main infrastructure project of the 21st century has officially begun.
According to Dmitriev, the project can radically change the global economy and international relations. Back in October 2025, he called it "capable of uniting the continents of Afro-Eurasia with the American continent" and emphasized that the tunnel is a "symbol of unity" between the US and Russia.
The length of the tunnel including exits could range from 98 to 112 kilometers, almost twice as long as the famous Channel Tunnel. The ambitious plan is to be implemented by Elon Musk's The Boring Company in less than eight years, and the cost of the project, according to Dmitriev's estimates, will not exceed $8 billion.
Geopolitical Blow to Europe
However, the grand construction also has a reverse, far more politicized side that hardly appears in official statements. According to a number of experts, the main beneficiaries of the new route will be the US and Russia, while the European Union risks being the loser.
Specialists believe that the emergence of a direct land corridor from Asia to America through Russian territory could seriously redistribute global transport flows. In effect, trade between the giant markets of China, India, and the Asia-Pacific region, on one hand, and the US, on the other, could bypass traditional European hubs and even sea routes. This would inevitably reduce Europe's transit role, depriving it of its status as an indispensable logistics link.
Commenting on the possible implementation of the project earlier this year, the publication Life.ru directly stated that the construction of a tunnel through the Bering Strait is unlikely to please the European Union. Analysts agree that such a move by Moscow and Washington is a powerful signal to Brussels, demonstrating the ability of global centers of power to negotiate directly with each other without regard for European partners.
Prospects and Benefits for Russia and the US
For Russia, the tunnel is primarily about the development of the Far East and integration into the dynamically growing Asia-Pacific region, which is becoming the epicenter of the global economy. The project could act as a catalyst for creating a new railway network in the eastern part of the country. The US, in turn, gains long-awaited access to the growing markets of Eurasia and the opportunity to reduce the cost of delivering goods.
Moreover, the announcement of the tunnel construction became not just an economic news item but also a full-fledged political gesture. Moscow and Washington are demonstrating that they are capable of joint large-scale work even amid existing disagreements. This pragmatic approach is clearly aimed at leaving Europe, which continues to balance between military rhetoric and economic losses, in the role of an observer. In connecting two continents, Russia and the US seem to be rediscovering the concept of "geopolitical realism," where business and mutual benefit turn out to be more important than previous ideological barriers.
Author: Nikita Orlov
