diff --git a/libpwquality.spec b/libpwquality.spec
index 6dd3d77..fda74d0 100644
--- a/libpwquality.spec
+++ b/libpwquality.spec
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
 Summary: A library for password generation and password quality checking
 Name: libpwquality
 Version: 1.4.4
-Release: 8%{?dist}
+Release: 9%{?dist}
 # The package is BSD licensed with option to relicense as GPLv2+
 # - this option is redundant as the BSD license allows that anyway.
 License: BSD or GPLv2+
@@ -36,7 +36,6 @@ BuildRequires: python2-devel
 %endif
 %if %{with python3}
 BuildRequires: python3-devel
-BuildRequires: python3-setuptools
 %endif
 
 URL: https://github.com/libpwquality/libpwquality/
@@ -104,6 +103,15 @@ cp -a . %{py3dir}
 pushd %{py3dir}
 %endif
 %if %{with python3}
+# setuptools >= 60 changes the environment to use its bundled copy of distutils
+# by default, not the Python-bundled one. To run the Python's standard library
+# distutils, the environment variable must be set.
+# Although technically setuptools is not needed for this package, if it's
+# pulled by another package, it changes the environment and consequently,
+# the build fails. This was reported in:
+# https://github.com/pypa/setuptools/issues/3143
+export SETUPTOOLS_USE_DISTUTILS=stdlib
+
 %configure \
 	--with-securedir=%{_moduledir} \
 	--with-pythonsitedir=%{python3_sitearch} \
@@ -177,6 +185,9 @@ mkdir $RPM_BUILD_ROOT%{_secconfdir}/pwquality.conf.d
 %endif
 
 %changelog
+* Fri Mar 04 2022 Karolina Surma <ksurma@redhat.com> - 1.4.4-9
+- Don't BR setuptools, use Python's bundled distutils
+
 * Wed Feb 16 2022 Zbigniew Jędrzejewski-Szmek <zbyszek@in.waw.pl> - 1.4.4-8
 - Co-own security directory instead of pulling in pam (#2018913)