Swat One, you do not simply get it, so let me explain it:
Russia does not have any major cities on it's eastern side (?), but it does have towns and villages/cities. Some cities are not even major of the Euro-Russian side, but they still lay claim because there are people living there. In my reality, this works, because if a mystical country has multiple cities and one major one around it's port, that doesn't mean they don't own the land that has suburbs and farm land?
If you don't want to budge (or myself) I can take half of the Great Lakes and it's areas, and the Appalachian region and its foothills (all the while giving you your midwest part with the cities).
I also want an alliance since we are so close, I just like having some proper wellfare that I won't be annally raped for my land either way, but I would love to have the whole mountain range, yes.