diff --git a/0001-Revert-py-replace-distutils-with-setuptools.patch b/0001-Revert-py-replace-distutils-with-setuptools.patch
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..915e3ed
--- /dev/null
+++ b/0001-Revert-py-replace-distutils-with-setuptools.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+From 2125091e724c399d653790af854d9daba0218b99 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
+From: Jan Engelhardt <jengelh@inai.de>
+Date: Mon, 17 Jul 2023 12:13:05 +0200
+Subject: [PATCH] Revert "py: replace distutils with setuptools"
+
+This reverts commit 1acc2fd48c755a8931fa87b8d0560b750316059f.
+---
+ py/setup.py | 2 +-
+ 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)
+
+diff --git a/py/setup.py b/py/setup.py
+index 8ad73e7b..72fc8fd9 100755
+--- a/py/setup.py
++++ b/py/setup.py
+@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
+ #!/usr/bin/env python
+-from setuptools import setup
++from distutils.core import setup
+ from nftables import NFTABLES_VERSION
+ 
+ setup(name='nftables',
+-- 
+2.41.0
+
diff --git a/nftables.changes b/nftables.changes
index 08982e2..818a466 100644
--- a/nftables.changes
+++ b/nftables.changes
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ Fri Jul 14 11:56:43 UTC 2023 - Jan Engelhardt <jengelh@inai.de>
   * broute support to short-circuit bridge logic from the bridge
     prerouting hook and pass up packets to the local IP stack.
   * JSON support for table and chain comments.
+- 0001-Revert-py-replace-distutils-with-setuptools.patch
 
 -------------------------------------------------------------------
 Mon Mar 13 20:47:53 UTC 2023 - Jan Engelhardt <jengelh@inai.de>
diff --git a/nftables.spec b/nftables.spec
index 5f59fcb..2334328 100644
--- a/nftables.spec
+++ b/nftables.spec
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ URL:            https://netfilter.org/projects/nftables/
 Source:         http://ftp.netfilter.org/pub/%name/%name-%version.tar.xz
 Source2:        http://ftp.netfilter.org/pub/%name/%name-%version.tar.xz.sig
 Source3:        %name.keyring
+Patch1:         0001-Revert-py-replace-distutils-with-setuptools.patch
 BuildRequires:  asciidoc
 BuildRequires:  bison
 BuildRequires:  flex
@@ -35,7 +36,6 @@ BuildRequires:  gmp-devel
 BuildRequires:  libtool
 BuildRequires:  pkg-config >= 0.21
 BuildRequires:  python3-base
-BuildRequires:  python3-setuptools
 BuildRequires:  pkgconfig(jansson)
 BuildRequires:  pkgconfig(libedit)
 BuildRequires:  pkgconfig(libmnl) >= 1.0.4