Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell made it clear Thursday that the nuclear weapons treaty signed by the United States and Russia will not get a free pass in the Senate.

President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) on Thursday. But it must be ratified by two-thirds of the Senate.

In a statement, McConnell said GOP cooperation on ratification will require elements, CNN.com reported.

"The Senate will assess whether or not the agreement is verifiable, whether it reduces our nation's ability to defend itself and our allies from the threat of nuclear armed missiles, and whether or not this administration is committed to preserving our own nuclear triad."

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