Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the deployment of Russian troops to Ukraine for what he calls a peacekeeping mission. This comes after he recognized two breakaway regions as independent states.

Putin delivered a televised speech to the nation on Monday. He criticized that the Ukrainian government violated a ceasefire agreement by continuing to attack the two breakaway regions that are held by pro-Russian separatists.

Putin said that it is "necessary to take a long overdue decision to immediately recognize the independence and sovereignty" of those regions. He then signed a decree.

A senior US official in President Joe Biden's administration told reporters that Putin's speech to the Russian people was made to "justify a war."

The official said, "just in the last hour, we've seen Russia order troops to deploy into the DPR and LPR for so-called peacekeeping functions." But the official pointed out that Russian forces have been present there for years. He added that, if the troops were to move into the regions, it would not be a new step.

A reporter asked whether the administration would consider the entry of Russian troops into the regions an invasion that would trigger US sanctions. The official responded that the administration will carefully observe and assess Russia's actions and respond accordingly.