Story highlights Pence said the Trump administration is "watching" Russia

On Sunday, Pence said Trump spoke with Putin about Ukraine

Washington (CNN) Vice President Mike Pence said the Trump administration is "watching" Russia and "very troubled" by its violation of a ceasefire in Ukraine last week.

It was the latest of a series of mixed messages from the White House on Russia to come in a series of days.

President Donald Trump equated American actions with the regime of Russian President Vladimir Putin in an interview with Fox News' Bill O'Reilly.

When O'Reilly noted Putin is "a killer," Trump said: "There are a lot of killers. You think our country's so innocent?"

Trump's defense of Russia came just days after his United Nations ambassador lashed out at Moscow.

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