Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras addresses lawmakers during a parliamentary session before a vote of confidence in Athens February 10, 2015. [Photo/Agencies]

However, Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis refused to rule out a standoff with his country's creditors. "We're not seeking a clash. We will do everything to avoid it," he told parliament, but added: "If you're not willing to even consider a clash, you're not negotiating."

Schaeuble and a Commission spokeswoman dismissed media reports of an EU compromise plan that lifted Greek and European financial markets and the euro on Tuesday.

"There is no Juncker plan at this stage, of no matter how many points. There is no such plan at this stage," Commission spokeswoman Mina Andreeva told journalists in Brussels.

"That being said, of course very intense contacts are going on between the president, prime minister Tsipras and other players involved in the euro zone and beyond, but up to this point all these contacts have not been very fruitful."

'PLAN B'

Defence Minister Panos Kammenos said Greece could look to Russia or China if it failed to get a new debt deal with the euro zone.

"What we want is a deal," the hardline nationalist said on television. "But if there is no deal ... and if we see that Germany remains rigid and wants to blow apart Europe, then we have the obligation to go to Plan B. Plan B is to get funding from another source.

"It could be the United States at best, it could be Russia, it could be China or other countries," Kammenos added.