Syrian National Council chief Abdel Basset Sayda told Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in rare talks at the Russian foreign ministry that Moscow needed to understand his country was in the throes of a revolution.
However in his opening remarks, Lavrov offered no hope of breakthrough in disagreements between Moscow and the Syrian opposition, which has been scathing of the Russian position in the Syrian crisis.
He added that Russia wanted to understand in the talks if there are "prospects" of the opposition groups uniting and joining a platform for dialogue with the Syrian government.
Moscow has repeatedly refused to call on Assad to quit power, saying that Syria's political future cannot be imposed from the outside and must be decided via a dialogue involving all parties.
However the Syrian National Council has repeatedly said it had no patience with the idea of a political transition in Syria that would include members of the current regime.
"No dialogue with the ruling regime is possible. We can only discuss how to move on to a different political system," SNC spokeswoman Bassma Kodmani said in Moscow one day ahead of the talks.
"Russia is one of the most important states for Syria. It plays an important role that we hope can help us turn the page on the old regime."
Moscow's close ties with Damascus date back to its cooperation with Assad's late father Hafez al-Assad under the Soviet Union. Analysts say Russia is above all unwilling to lose its last strategic ally in the Middle East.
Darul Ihsan Media Desk