I would like to raise my glass to friendship between Russia and

In the measured yet hopeful words of Richard Lugar, a statesman of patience and vision, we find a toast not merely between nations, but between the enduring spirits of humanity itself: “I would like to raise my glass to friendship between Russia and the United States.” Though spoken in the halls of diplomacy, these words carry the resonance of something older and grander than politics — the longing for friendship, for understanding across divides, for the healing of centuries’ worth of suspicion and strife. Lugar’s simple gesture of raising a glass becomes, in truth, a symbolic act of peace, an offering of goodwill between two great powers once locked in icy rivalry.

To raise a glass is to affirm not only goodwill but faith — faith that even in the coldest climates of history, warmth may yet be kindled. In uttering this toast, Lugar evoked one of the deepest virtues known to humankind: the courage to see an adversary not as an enemy, but as a potential ally. His words were spoken during a time when the world teetered between conflict and cooperation, when the wounds of the Cold War were still fresh, and mistrust lay thick between East and West. Yet, in that fragile hour, Lugar extended not a clenched fist, but an open hand. It was a moment not of grandeur, but of grace — the grace of diplomacy, which seeks peace where pride would sow division.

To understand the weight of Lugar’s words, one must recall his work alongside Senator Sam Nunn, with whom he created the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program in the early 1990s. At the fall of the Soviet Union, the world faced a terrifying inheritance: thousands of nuclear weapons scattered across newly independent states. The task of securing and dismantling these instruments of annihilation required not only scientific precision but mutual trust between nations once sworn to destroy one another. Lugar’s leadership helped forge that trust. Under his guidance, Russian and American scientists, soldiers, and diplomats worked side by side — proof that even former foes could labor for the safety of all mankind. Thus, his toast to friendship between Russia and the United States was not a hollow courtesy, but the echo of deeds already done in the service of peace.

The ancients, too, understood the sacred power of friendship between rivals. Consider the tale of Alexander the Great and Porus, the Indian king he defeated in battle. When Porus was brought before Alexander and asked how he wished to be treated, he answered, “As a king.” Moved by his dignity, Alexander restored his lands and gained not just a subject, but a friend. From that alliance came stability where destruction might have reigned. The wisdom of that story — that respect transforms conquest into cooperation — lives again in Lugar’s words. He reminds us that peace is not the absence of power, but the presence of respect.

To toast to friendship is, in essence, to plant a seed of trust. It is to declare that despite borders and differences, there are values shared by all people: the desire for safety, for dignity, for a world in which children need not inherit the fears of their fathers. Lugar’s faith in this shared humanity stands as a rebuke to cynicism — to those who believe peace is naïve and rivalry eternal. He understood that friendship between nations, like friendship between individuals, must be built not on words alone, but on patience, honesty, and the humility to see oneself in the other.

Yet, friendship among nations — like all friendships — is fragile. It must be renewed with each generation. Where trust fades, suspicion grows; where dialogue ends, conflict begins. Lugar’s words now ring as both celebration and warning. The friendship he toasted cannot survive on sentiment alone; it must be nourished through shared action, mutual respect, and remembrance of the greater good that binds humanity. To neglect it is to risk returning to the coldness from which it once emerged.

So let this teaching be carved in the heart of every leader, every citizen, every soul who seeks wisdom: raise your glass to friendship, not only between nations, but among all people. Let your words and deeds be bridges, not walls. Seek understanding before judgment, and peace before pride. For as Lugar knew, the hand extended in friendship is mightier than any weapon, and the heart that hopes for reconciliation is braver than one that clings to fear.

Thus, O listener, remember this: the world will endure not through conquest, but through connection. When you speak to others — be they neighbors or nations — let your spirit echo Lugar’s timeless toast: “To friendship.” For in that single word lies the seed of peace, the cure for division, and the promise of a brighter dawn for all humankind.