European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has vowed to work until the last moment to prevent a no-deal Brexit.
However, Mr Juncker admitted the UK crashing out now appears to be a likely result and London remains on course for Brexit next week.
He was addressing the European Parliament after British Prime Minister Theresa May asked for a short postponement.
However, Mr Juncker added: "The European Union will not kick any member state out.
"I will personally do everything I can to prevent a disorderly Brexit and I expect political leaders across the EU27 and in the United Kingdom to do the same."
Yesterday, Mrs May asked opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn to help develop a Brexit plan that could be ratified by the House of Commons, and asked Brussels for more time.
Mr Juncker responded that EU leaders would be flexible, but time was limited and a disorderly no-deal Brexit would only be welcomed by populist and nationalist forces.
"In light of Prime Minister May's statement last night, I believe we now have a few more days," he said.
"If the United Kingdom is in a position to approve the Withdrawal Agreement with a sustainable majority by 12 April, the European Union should be prepared to accept a delay until 22 May.
"Yet I believe that a 'no deal' at midnight on the 12 April is now a very likely scenario. It is not the outcome I want, but it is an outcome for which I have made sure the European Union is ready."
Yesterday, European Council President Donald Tusk urged patience over the latest developments in the UK.
As European capitals digest Mrs May's offer to work with Mr Corbyn, Mr Tusk said on social media "even if we don't know what the end result will be, let us be patient".
Even if, after today, we don’t know what the end result will be, let us be patient. #Brexit
— Donald Tusk (@eucopresident) April 2, 2019
European Parliament Brexit coordinator Guy Verhofstadt said it was "good that the British Prime Minister was looking for a cross-party compromise. Better late than never."
The original plan, agreed by Mrs May and EU leaders at a summit in Brussels two weeks ago, was that she would try to get the Withdrawal Agreement over the line last week in order to qualify for an extension of Article 50 to 22 May, in order to get the necessary legislation passed.
If the treaty was rejected - which it was last Friday - then she would have until 12 April to decide if Britain was going for a no-deal Brexit, or if there was a clear pathway to some other solution.
In that scenario, the UK would have to contest the European elections. Mrs May's latest gambit does not fit in with that choreography.
The EU's big fear has been that if the UK did not plan for contesting the European Elections on 23 May, and then discovered that it needed more time to implement legislation, then the UK would still be a member but without having newly elected MEPs, something that would render the European institutions legally fragile.
For EU leaders, therefore, to agree to Mrs May's plan of reaching out to Mr Corbyn, and failing that going for further indicative votes in the House of Commons, she would have to have the entire plan over the line before next Wednesday.
That sounds like a very tall order.
So there is every expectation in Brussels that she may have to seek a longer extension, and in turn, the UK would have to contest the European Elections.
Additional reporting Tony Connelly
