diff --git a/python-pip.spec b/python-pip.spec
index d5bde10..a279193 100644
--- a/python-pip.spec
+++ b/python-pip.spec
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ Name:           python-%{srcname}
 # When updating, update the bundled libraries versions bellow!
 # You can use vendor_meta.sh in the dist git repo
 Version:        20.0.2
-Release:        3%{?dist}
+Release:        4%{?dist}
 Summary:        A tool for installing and managing Python packages
 
 # We bundle a lot of libraries with pip, which itself is under MIT license.
@@ -192,7 +192,14 @@ BuildRequires:  python%{python3_pkgversion}-pyyaml
 BuildRequires:  python%{python3_pkgversion}-wheel
 BuildRequires:  ca-certificates
 Requires:       ca-certificates
-Requires:  python%{python3_pkgversion}-setuptools
+
+# This was previously required and we keep it recommended because a lot of
+# sdists installed via pip will try to import setuptools.
+# But pip doesn't actually require setuptools.
+# It can install wheels without them and it can build wheels in isolation mode
+# (using setuptools/flit/poetry/... installed from PyPI).
+# Side note: pip bundles pkg_resources from setuptools for internal usage.
+Recommends:     python%{python3_pkgversion}-setuptools
 
 # Virtual provides for the packages bundled by pip:
 %{bundled 3}
@@ -378,6 +385,9 @@ ln -sf %{buildroot}%{_bindir}/pip3 _bin/pip
 %{python_wheeldir}/%{python_wheelname}
 
 %changelog
+* Wed Apr 15 2020 Miro Hrončok <mhroncok@redhat.com> - 20.0.2-4
+- Only recommend setuptools, don't require them
+
 * Fri Apr 10 2020 Miro Hrončok <mhroncok@redhat.com> - 20.0.2-3
 - Allow setting $TMPDIR to $PWD/... during pip wheel (#1806625)