U.S. Ambassador to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchison on Tuesday warned that the U.S. could be forced to “take out” missiles Russia is developing that violate a Cold War-era treaty. If completed, the 9M729 Russian missile system could give it the capability to launch a missile strike on Europe with little or no notice, the Associated Press reported.

“It is time now for Russia to come to the table and stop the violations,” Hutchison told reporters in Brussels, where US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis would later meet his NATO counterparts. She added that if the system became operational, the U.S. “would then be looking at the capability to take out a missile that could hit any of our countries in Europe and hit America.”

Hutchison also urged Russia to cease development of the missile system, which fits into a class of banned weapons under the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty.

“There will come a point in the future in which America will determine that it has to move forward with a development phase that is not allowed by the treaty right now,” Hutchison said.

Earlier in the day, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg urged Russia to be more transparent, and explain its alleged breaches of the INF Treaty.

She also noted that the US had no intentions of violating the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), adding, however, that it might occur because of Russia. The pact bans countries from developing land-based cruise missiles with a range of between 310 and 3,410 miles. NATO officials have said the nascent Russian system fits into that category, the AP reported.

According to the US, the new Russian 9M729 missile systems violate the conditions of the pact, as they give Russia the possibility of launching a nuclear strike in Europe with little or no notice.

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