Russia's foreign ministry has insisted that the country has not changed its position on Syria and "never will".
Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said on Thursday that Syria's government was "progressively losing control" and that "the victory of the Syrian opposition cannot be excluded".
The ministry on Friday clarified his comments, noting he had also said there could only be a political solution.
Russia has remained a staunch ally of President Bashar al-Assad since the uprising began in March 2011.
''We must look squarely at the facts, and the trend now suggests that the regime and the government in Syria are losing control over more and more territory," Mr Bogdanov said on Thursday.
"Unfortunately, it is impossible to exclude a victory of the Syrian opposition," he added.
