WASHINGTON, DC — Erik Prince, founder of the private military company Blackwater and the brother of U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, met in December with a Russian agent in an attempt to establish "a back-channel line of communication" between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, according to a story published Monday by The Washington Post. The previously undisclosed meeting, held two week's before Trump's inauguration, is the most recent of his ties to Putin to come to light.

The story was compiled by at least six Post reporters, including one contributing from the Seychelles, the group of islands off East Africa and the site of the secret meeting detailed by the newspaper.

The Post reported that anonymous U.S., European and Arab officials corroborated the facts of the meeting, which the newspaper said was set up by the United Arab Emirates in part to convince Russia to loosen its ties to Iran.