to be firm and tough in negotiation
быть твердым и жестким в переговорах (byt tverdym i zhestkim v peregovorakh)
"He decided to play hardball during the contract talks."
"Он решил играть жестко во время переговоров по контракту." (On reshil **igrat' zhestko** vo vremya peregovorov po kontraktu.)
to do something for someone in exchange for a favor or help...
to have confidence in your abilities or opinions
to express an opinion loudly or strongly
to model the behavior you expect from others
To start thinking carefully about something
to use a political issue to one’s advantage
