"Mozhno strelnut u vas sigaretu?"

This is what you ask if you want to bum a cigarette in Russia.

And as tempting as it may have been for President Obama to ask this of his ambassadorial hosts while he was on a visit to Moscow, he refrained.

Russia is wrought with tobacco. As with many European countries, cigarettes are normalized in everyday Russian culture. Even an international architectural icon like the Kremlin is laced with “the strong smell of cigarettes detectable well inside the building."

We all know that President Obama is trying to quit smoking. And we all know that he is not proclaiming himself a 100%-tobacco-free Barack, yet.

We also know that it’s an intense struggle to withstand succumbing to an addiction when surrounded by your drug of choice. A smoker trying to quit in Russia? Think an alcoholic in recovery who bartends every night. Think Edward Cullen in love with Bella Swan. (Don’t pretend like you didn’t read Twilight).

Should a new vegetarian be required to eat beef when visiting Texas? Of course not. Our American hospitality should send a message that we respect folks’ health choices.

The most impressive impact of Obama’s polite decline to smoke in Russia goes beyond his strong willpower and commitment to his quitting strategy. The significant lesson to walk away with from Obama’s example was that he was in a foreign country, in which tobacco is like air, and diplomatically upheld his principles for the greater good.

It may have been considered rude. But by politely declining a cigarette, President Obama broadcasts a message to smokers and non-smokers alike, Americans and Russians (and everyone else!) that the human body is precious, no matter what borders you’ve crossed.