By Eric Bazail-Eimil and Matt Berg

Ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh sit in a truck on their way to Kornidzor in Syunik region, Armenia, on Sept. 25, 2023. After Azerbaijan launched an “anti-terrorist operation” last week in the territory against Armenian separatists, thousands fled to Armenia. | Stepan Poghosyan/Photolure via AP Photo

With help from Nahal Toosi

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Two Biden Administration officials are in Armenia today, as the U.S. struggles to defuse a worsening humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh and prevent a genocide against the region’s Armenian population.

But Armenian diaspora activists and their allies on Capitol Hill say the trip, while welcome, is late. They argue the Biden Administration hasn’t taken decisive enough action against Azerbaijan and are pushing for sanctions and an end to U.S. military assistance.

Acting Assistant Secretary of State YURI KIM and U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator SAMANTHA POWER landed in Yerevan this morning. They aim to “affirm U.S. support for Armenia’s sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, and democracy” and “address humanitarian needs” in Nagorno-Karabakh, according to a USAID statement.

Their critics — which include Democrat and Republican members of both houses of Congress — argue that the administration should have been heeding warnings about ethnic cleansing that began in January, when Azerbaijan closed the Lachin Corridor, a mountainous pass that serves as Nagorno-Karabakh’s sole conduit to Armenia, halting the flow of food and medical supplies into the territory.

After Azerbaijan launched an “anti-terrorist operation” last week in the territory against Armenian separatists, thousands fled to Armenia, as our own GABRIEL GAVIN reported Saturday. Armenian officials are bracing for more refugees to arrive in the coming days.

Azerbaijan says it seeks to “re-integrate” the territory and maintains it will treat the Armenians there as “equal citizens.” Yerevan, however, warns that the threat of ethnic cleansing persists and has offered to house refugees.

The Biden administration has taken some actions in response. On September 14, Kim told Senators that the State Department had decided not to request the renewal of a waiver that allowed the U.S. to provide military assistance to Azerbaijan. U.S. and Armenian troops also held joint military exercises this month near the border with Azerbaijan.

Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN spoke on the phone with Armenian Prime Minister NIKOL PASHINYAN on Saturday. He has also pressed the issue with Azerbaijani leader ILHAM ALIYEV.

But Armenian diaspora groups are frustrated that the administration refuses to call the situation as a genocide, and leaders in the Armenian community argue the situation conforms with definitions in international law. They also say U.S. support has emboldened Baku.

“This was a crisis the U.S. had every opportunity to prevent, but not only chose to ignore — it actively abetted and appeased Azerbaijan by providing it with security assistance for decades,” ALEX GALITSKY, program director of the Armenian National Committee of America, a group which advocates for the Armenian diaspora here in the U.S., told NatSec Daily.

A State Department spokesperson told NatSec Daily that the department is “in touch with contacts on the ground about the situation” and added that “a determination regarding genocide or ethnic cleansing is the prerogative of the Secretary and is based on a deliberate, evidence-based process." The spokesperson was granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive internal process.

The administration has also been publicly urging Azerbaijan to have dialogues with Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh and negotiate with Armenia over the future of the region.

Galitsky and lawmakers are pushing the administration to respond more forcefully. A bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation last week that would declare the crisis a “campaign of ethnic cleansing” and end U.S. military assistance to Azerbaijan. The bill would also sanction Azerbaijani officials and increase aid to Armenia.

“The world needs to know exactly what’s happening,” Sen. GARY PETERS (D-Mich.), one of the co-sponsors of the bill, told reporters on a visit to Lachin Corridor on Saturday. “It’s a dire situation.”

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TANKS A LOT: The first U.S.-provided M1 Abrams tanks arrived in Ukraine today, months ahead of the initial timeline.

Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY announced the tanks’ arrival in a tweet today, thanking Washington for fulfilling the country’s request. Fewer than half the total number of expected tanks (31) have arrived so far, a senior Ukrainian military official told The Washington Post’s ALEX HORTON, JENNIFER HASSAN and RACHEL PANNETT.

It’s unclear how much of an impact the tanks will immediately have in battle, but Ukrainian officials are hopeful they will help speed up Kyiv’s slowly advancing counteroffensive.

“Our monthslong tactics of exhausting the enemy, destroying his artillery and manpower [have] gradually begun to yield results,” YEHOR CHERNIEV, deputy chair of Ukraine’s parliamentary committee on national security, defense and intelligence, told NatSec Daily.

In another win for Kyiv today, Ukraine’s military said that Adm. VIKTOR SOKOLOV, commander of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, was killed in an attack in the Crimean port of Sevastopol last week, our own LAURA HÜLSEMANN reports. Moscow hasn’t commented on the matter.

AMERICAN ARMS TO HANOI? Biden administration officials are pursuing an arms deal with Vietnam as Hanoi and Beijing increasingly butt heads, two officials familiar with the matter told Reuters’ TREVOR HUNNICUTT and NANDITA BOSE.

The package, which has been a major topic of discussion at high-level bilateral meetings in recent months, could include Vietnam purchasing a fleet of F-16 fighter jets from Washington, the officials said. The Biden administration is also looking at special financing options to allow Vietnam to make the purchase and begin weaning off its dependence on lower-cost Russian weaponry.

The news of the negotiations comes as tensions rise between Hanoi and Beijing over the South China Sea and Vietnam and Washington are growing closer.

Asked about the talks today, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson WANG WENBIN told reporters: “We hope that … relevant countries will observe basic norms governing international relations, abandon hegemonic and Cold War mentalities, refrain from stoking confrontation and spurring arms race, and not jeopardize regional peace, stability, development and prosperity.” today.

FRENCH OUT OF NIGER: French President EMMANUEL MACRON announced Sunday that French troops would be withdrawn from Niger in the next couple of months following the coup this summer, our own CLEA CAULCUTT reported.

The military withdrawal comes after French troops were ousted from neighboring Burkina Faso and Mali, amid growing anti-French sentiment across the continent and military failures in containing jihadist terrorism in the Sahel. Some 1,500 French troops are stationed in several bases across Niger.

Macron also said France would imminently withdraw its ambassador, who had been living under effective house arrest in the French embassy in the capital Niamey, according to French authorities.

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VIVEK EXPLAINS HIMSELF: GOP presidential candidate VIVEK RAMASWAMY’s campaign defended the tech entrepreneur’s decision to have his company partner with a Chinese Communist Party-backed firm five years ago, Fox News’ JESSICA CHASMAR reports.

In July 2018, Ramaswamy’s Roivant Sciences announced a partnership with CITIC PE, the private equity arm of the Chinese government-owned investment company CITIC Group Corp to form China-based firm Sinovant Sciences, Chasmar writes. Internet archives from Sinovant’s deleted website show that the company’s goal was "advancing Chinese biopharmaceutical innovation globally.”

But the candidate’s views on working with Beijing have changed since then due to his experience working with the company, campaign spokesperson TRICIA MCLAUGHLIN told Fox News, adding that a company launch like Sinovant’s would not be allowed under his presidency.

"No, it would not have been able to launch," McLaughlin said. "We cannot depend on an enemy for our modern way of life."

Ramaswamy has been one of the most outspoken candidates regarding China, unveiling a strategy last week to “decouple” from Beijing. He stepped down from Roivant in February to run for president.

TALIBAN TAKING NOTES: The Taliban are considering repurposing an American plan predating the Afghanistan withdrawal to create a network of surveillance cameras around Afghan cities, interior ministry spokesperson ABDUL MATEEN QANI told Reuters.

The terrorist group, which has publicly said it wants to restore security in the country and combat the Islamic State, has also been in talks with Chinese tech giant Huawei for potential collaboration, he said. One of the plans being used was created by Washington, while another was made by Turkey.

There’s already thousands of cameras across Kabul, but the new security strategy as outlined in meetings calls for a major expansion of the tech across the capital and other “important points” elsewhere in the country, the spokesperson said. It will take four years to be implemented.

Read: U.K. aiming for global agreement on dangerous AI by our own VINCENT MANANCOURT (for Pros!)

GO INSIDE THE CAPITOL DOME: From the outset, POLITICO has been your eyes and ears on Capitol Hill, providing the most thorough Congress coverage — from political characters and emerging leaders to leadership squabbles and policy nuggets during committee markups and hearings. We're stepping up our game to ensure you’re fully informed on every key detail inside the Capitol Dome, all day, every day. Start your day with Playbook AM, refuel at midday with our Playbook PM halftime report and enrich your evening discussions with Huddle. Plus, stay updated with real-time buzz all day through our brand new Inside Congress Live feature. Learn more and subscribe here.

COSMIC HOTLINE: The Space Force is looking into establishing a hotline with China to prevent conflicts in orbit, Reuters’ SAKURA MURAKAMI and NOBUHIRO KUBO report.

"What we have talked about on the U.S. side at least is opening up a line of communication to make sure that if there is a crisis, we know who we can contact," said Space Force head Gen. CHANCE SALTZMAN, caveating that the White House and the State Department would have to take the lead on discussions.

While Washington has attempted to have an open line for avoiding collisions and other accidents in space, Beijing seemingly hasn’t been open to the idea. Given generally fraught military-to-military communications, it would be a significant accomplishment if the Space Force can facilitate a dialogue.

“From what I understand, we basically send … a fax or an email to someone or some desk in China, and there's just no response,” BENJAMIN SILVERSTEIN, a research analyst for the Space Project at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told NatSec Daily.

ONE HAPPY FACTION: Progressive Democrats are quietly gleeful over Sen. BOB MENENDEZ’s (D-N.J.) departure as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, our own NAHAL TOOSI writes in.

The senator’s hawkish positions have long upset many on the left who support more diplomacy with countries such as Cuba and a rethink of some policies, such as sanctions use. Some progressives believe Biden aides slow-walked the failed efforts to restore the Iran nuclear deal in part because they worried Menendez wouldn’t play along. Menendez staunchly opposed the original agreement. Some also were frustrated that Menendez didn’t do more to speed up the confirmation process.

While Sen. BEN CARDIN of Maryland is likely the next chair, he’s retiring soon, meaning there’s a vacancy for the top-ranking committee Democrat.

“Moving forward, it would behoove Senate Democrats to empower a committee chair who is more eager to work with his own party that Republicans, who is committed to advancing his president’s nominees, and of course who isn’t accused of wild corruption,” said STEPHEN MILES, president of Win Without War, a progressive advocacy network, told Nahal.

A defiant Menendez insisted today that he won’t resign under the cloud of a damning federal bribery indictment and a state party apparatus that has largely abandoned him, our own DANIEL HAN reports.

“The allegations leveled against me are just that — allegations,” he told reporters. “I firmly believe that when all the facts are presented, not only will I be exonerated, but I will still be New Jersey’s senior senator.”

HOW THE TURN TABLES: Russia’s ministry of internal affairs has placed International Criminal Court President PIOTR HOFMAŃSKI on its wanted list, our own CLAUDIA CHIAPPA reports.

That’s according to the ministry’s online database, which does not specify what Hofmański is accused of, but it states he is “wanted under the article of the Criminal Code,” per Russian state media. Alongside Hofmański, the ministry also added ICC Vice President LUZ DEL CARMEN IBÁÑEZ CARRANZA and judge BERTRAM SCHMITT to the wanted list.

Moscow has been retaliating against the ICC, which back in March issued an arrest warrant for Russian President VLADIMIR PUTIN and Russia’s Children’s Rights Commissioner MARIA LVOVA-BELOVA over the forced transfer of children to Russia since the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began last year.

Russia said it did not recognize the court’s authority and quickly responded to the arrest warrant by opening its own criminal case against the ICC prosecutors and judges.

ICYMI — U.S. and other Western powers are inciting Iranian unrest, president says by our own DAVID COHEN

— JARYD BERN is now the assistant inspector general for legislative affairs and communications for the DOD’s Office of Inspector General. He previously served as the chief of staff for the Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction.

— JANE LEE is now chief government affairs officer at Rebellion Defense. She previously was head of policy and government affairs and is a MITCH McCONNELL, Senate Approps, House Budget and OMB alum.

— EVA HARTOG, POLITICO: Deal ‘with the devil’: Meet the Cubans who’ve joined Russia’s war on Ukraine

— KATIE BO LILLIS, OREN LIEBERMANN and HALEY BRITZKY, CNN: MARK MILLEY leaves a controversial legacy as America’s top general

— LALLY WEYMOUTH, The Washington Post: Chile’s president: ‘Today it is Ukraine, tomorrow it could be any of us’

— The Brookings Institution, 9 a.m.: 2023 Knight forum on geopolitics

— The Arab Center Washington, D.C., 10 a.m.: Democracy in crisis: geopolitical shifts and U.S. challenges in MENA (Middle East/North Africa)

— The Center for Strategic and International Studies, 12 p.m.: Strengthening the U.S. industrial base

— The Cato Institute, 1 p.m.: The declassification engine: what history reveals about America's top secrets

— The Middle East Institute, 1 p.m.: "Assessing Biden's Middle East policy approach, 2021-2023

— The Center for Strategic and International Studies, 4 p.m.: Purchasing for impact: making procurement work for all

— The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 5 p.m.: Ukraine's quest for justice

CORRECTION: Friday’s edition of NatSec Daily incorrectly spelled Canada’s capital, Ottawa.

Thanks to our editor, Heidi Vogt, who calls every day with us a “dire situation.”

We also thank our producer, Gregory Svirnovskiy, who always knows how to solve our conflicts.

A message from Lockheed Martin:

Delivering Multi-Domain Deterrence.

Fast-moving threats require agile deterrence with multi-domain enabled platforms. Lockheed Martin’s combat-proven systems work together to protect critical assets against evolving threats.

We're accelerating production of combat-proven capabilities like HIMARS and PAC-3 MSE to support our customers’ national security missions. Learn more.

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