BRUSSELS (AP) — The U.S. envoy to NATO says Russia must halt development of new missiles that could carry nuclear warheads and is warning that the United States could "take out" the system if it becomes operational.

NATO fears the 9M729 system contravenes the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty. The Cold War-era pact bans an entire class of weapons — all land-based cruise missiles with a range between 500-5,500 kilometers (310-3,410 miles).

U.S. Ambassador Kay Bailey Hutchison said Tuesday that "it is time now for Russia to come to the table and stop the violations."

She said that if the system "became capable of delivering" then 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."