befriend(с: Regarding his work as a mediator, he described an incident when he walked into a gas station in downtown Toronto that was in the midst of a stick-up. He was able to talk down and befriend the gunman, who then turned himself in.coasttocoastam.comART Vancouver)
forge a relationship(United Russia would have little choice but to forge a working relationship with at least some segment of the newly empowered opposition. NYT Alexander Demidov)
develop a relationship with(Sales were not initially impressive with only $352 coming in after the initial five-hour broadcast, Circosta revealed. Within 90 days we made a million dollars in a single day, he added. Circosta believes it took a while to develop a relationship with the audience and to familiarize them with ordering from television — a concept that was foreign at the time.coasttocoastam.comART Vancouver)