US Congress Representative of California and member of the Democratic Party Ro Khanna hopes that India won’t face sanctions due to closer relations with Russia and also believes that India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi could play a constructive role in bringing war in Ukraine to an end.

"With Russia pulling out of territories, PM Modi can play a role for peace," he said in an exclusive conversation with CNBC-TV18.

Earlier in the day, PM Modi talked to Russian President Vladimir Putin over phone. A statement from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said Modi reiterated his call for dialogue and diplomacy to resolve the Ukraine crisis.

Khanna, in this exclusive conversation, reiterated the traditional stand of the US on India, that it was one of the most important allies for Washington in the 21st century.

Also Read:PM Modi, Russian President Putin hold talks on Ukraine crisis — a call for dialogue and diplomacy

He highlighted the fact that many international companies are moving from China to India to diversify supply chains.

"India can emerge as Asia’s manufacturing hub as companies like Apple move there."

He said the US has more joint papers with Chinese researchers than Indians and "that’s an area where more growth can be seen."

The Democrat also remembered his 25-minute meet with the Indian Prime Minister, saying they discussed issues on defence cooperation, people-to-people ties, pluralism and human rights.

Both nations need to make sure we're protecting minority rights, he reiterated. "We need to ensure we don’t have police violence against people of colour."