Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that the presence of U.S. troops in Syria was "illegitimate," following Washington's decision to withdraw its troops from the war-torn country. During his annual press conference that was attended by some 1,700 journalists, Putin said Americans should not have entered Syria in the first place. The Russian leader also said he wanted to normalize relations with Japan, despite concerns over Tokyo's motives to deploy a U.S. air defense system in the country.