WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump was ambivalent when asked about a possible tunnel from Russia to Alaska, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy didn’t like the proposal.
“That’s an interesting one,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Oct. 17 during an Oval Office meeting. “We’ll have to think about that.”
Trump then asked Zelenskyy, who was meeting to discuss ways to end the three-year war with Russia, for his reaction. “I’m not happy with it,” Zelenskyy replied.
The proposal appeared on social media Oct. 16 in a post from Kirill Dmitriev, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin’s investment envoy and head of Russia’s RDIF sovereign wealth fund. Dmitriev suggested an $8 billion tunnel could run under the ocean for 70 miles to cross the Bering Strait, the narrowest point between the two continents.
The tunnel would “symbolize unity” by providing a rail and cargo link between the countries, Dmitriev said. He posted Trump’s comments on social media.
Dmitriev floated the proposal after Trump and Putin spent two hours talking about how to end the Russian war against Ukraine. The two leaders plan to meet in Budapest in as little as two weeks to explore peace talks further.
Dmitriev struck up a relationship with Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy conducting peace negotiations in the Middle East and Ukraine. Dmitriev suggested that former Trump adviser Elon Musk’s Boring Company could build the tunnel.
Trump noted repeatedly during the meeting that Putin and Zelenskyy have a lot of “bad blood” and “don’t like each other.” Trump needled the Ukrainian leader by jokingly asking what he thought of the proposal.
“This came up yesterday, a tunnel from Russia to Alaska,” Trump said. “What do you think of that, Mr. President? Do you have any ideas? How do you like that idea?”
After Zelenskyy replied, Trump said with a smile: “I don’t think he liked it.”
Contributing: Reuters
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump calls proposal for a tunnel from Russia to Alaska ‘interesting’
