diff --git a/ChangeLog.d/make-generate-tests-python.txt b/ChangeLog.d/make-generate-tests-python.txt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4b9009d6f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ChangeLog.d/make-generate-tests-python.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+Changes
+   * When building the test suites with GNU make, invoke python3 or python, not
+     python2, which is no longer supported upstream.
diff --git a/programs/fuzz/Makefile b/programs/fuzz/Makefile
index fa17918fa..084fc241e 100644
--- a/programs/fuzz/Makefile
+++ b/programs/fuzz/Makefile
@@ -20,8 +20,6 @@ endif
 DLEXT ?= so
 EXEXT=
 SHARED_SUFFIX=
-# python2 for POSIX since FreeBSD has only python2 as default.
-PYTHON ?= python2
 
 # Zlib shared library extensions:
 ifdef ZLIB
diff --git a/tests/Makefile b/tests/Makefile
index d250d717a..59ed45a66 100644
--- a/tests/Makefile
+++ b/tests/Makefile
@@ -54,8 +54,7 @@ else
 DLEXT ?= so
 EXEXT=
 SHARED_SUFFIX=
-# python2 for POSIX since FreeBSD has only python2 as default.
-PYTHON ?= python2
+PYTHON ?= $(shell if type python3 >/dev/null 2>/dev/null; then echo python3; else echo python; fi)
 endif
 
 # Zlib shared library extensions: