diff --git a/Doc/library/datetime.rst b/Doc/library/datetime.rst
index 16ed3215bc2c1a..ca74412477be57 100644
--- a/Doc/library/datetime.rst
+++ b/Doc/library/datetime.rst
@@ -2629,7 +2629,10 @@ differences between platforms in handling of unsupported format specifiers.
    ``%G``, ``%u`` and ``%V`` were added.
 
 .. versionadded:: 3.12
-   ``%:z`` was added.
+   ``%:z`` was added for :meth:`~.datetime.strftime`
+
+.. versionadded:: 3.15
+   ``%:z`` was added for :meth:`~.datetime.strptime`
 
 Technical Detail
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
@@ -2724,12 +2727,18 @@ Notes:
       When the ``%z`` directive is provided to the  :meth:`~.datetime.strptime` method,
       the UTC offsets can have a colon as a separator between hours, minutes
       and seconds.
-      For example, ``'+01:00:00'`` will be parsed as an offset of one hour.
-      In addition, providing ``'Z'`` is identical to ``'+00:00'``.
+      For example, both ``'+010000'`` and ``'+01:00:00'`` will be parsed as an offset
+      of one hour. In addition, providing ``'Z'`` is identical to ``'+00:00'``.
 
    ``%:z``
-      Behaves exactly as ``%z``, but has a colon separator added between
-      hours, minutes and seconds.
+      When used with :meth:`~.datetime.strftime`, behaves exactly as ``%z``,
+      except that a colon separator is added between hours, minutes and seconds.
+
+      When used with :meth:`~.datetime.strptime`, the UTC offset is *required*
+      to have a colon as a separator between hours, minutes and seconds.
+      For example, ``'+01:00:00'`` (but *not* ``'+010000'``) will be parsed as
+      an offset of one hour. In addition, providing ``'Z'`` is identical to
+      ``'+00:00'``.
 
    ``%Z``
       In :meth:`~.datetime.strftime`, ``%Z`` is replaced by an empty string if
diff --git a/Lib/_strptime.py b/Lib/_strptime.py
index cdc55e8daaffa6..63125fbae6db02 100644
--- a/Lib/_strptime.py
+++ b/Lib/_strptime.py
@@ -371,7 +371,10 @@ def __init__(self, locale_time=None):
             # W is set below by using 'U'
             'y': r"(?P<y>\d\d)",
             'Y': r"(?P<Y>\d\d\d\d)",
+            # See gh-121237: "z" might not support colons, if designed from scratch.
+            # However, for backwards compatibility, we must keep them.
             'z': r"(?P<z>([+-]\d\d:?[0-5]\d(:?[0-5]\d(\.\d{1,6})?)?)|(?-i:Z))?",
+            ':z': r"(?P<colon_z>([+-]\d\d:[0-5]\d(:[0-5]\d(\.\d{1,6})?)?)|(?-i:Z))?",
             'A': self.__seqToRE(self.locale_time.f_weekday, 'A'),
             'a': self.__seqToRE(self.locale_time.a_weekday, 'a'),
             'B': self.__seqToRE(_fixmonths(self.locale_time.f_month[1:]), 'B'),
@@ -459,16 +462,16 @@ def pattern(self, format):
         year_in_format = False
         day_of_month_in_format = False
         def repl(m):
-            format_char = m[1]
-            match format_char:
+            directive = m.group()[1:] # exclude `%` symbol
+            match directive:
                 case 'Y' | 'y' | 'G':
                     nonlocal year_in_format
                     year_in_format = True
                 case 'd':
                     nonlocal day_of_month_in_format
                     day_of_month_in_format = True
-            return self[format_char]
-        format = re_sub(r'%[-_0^#]*[0-9]*([OE]?\\?.?)', repl, format)
+            return self[directive]
+        format = re_sub(r'%[-_0^#]*[0-9]*([OE]?[:\\]?.?)', repl, format)
         if day_of_month_in_format and not year_in_format:
             import warnings
             warnings.warn("""\
@@ -662,8 +665,8 @@ def parse_int(s):
                 week_of_year_start = 0
         elif group_key == 'V':
             iso_week = int(found_dict['V'])
-        elif group_key == 'z':
-            z = found_dict['z']
+        elif group_key in ('z', 'colon_z'):
+            z = found_dict[group_key]
             if z:
                 if z == 'Z':
                     gmtoff = 0
@@ -672,7 +675,7 @@ def parse_int(s):
                         z = z[:3] + z[4:]
                         if len(z) > 5:
                             if z[5] != ':':
-                                msg = f"Inconsistent use of : in {found_dict['z']}"
+                                msg = f"Inconsistent use of : in {found_dict[group_key]}"
                                 raise ValueError(msg)
                             z = z[:5] + z[6:]
                     hours = int(z[1:3])
diff --git a/Lib/test/datetimetester.py b/Lib/test/datetimetester.py
index 93b3382b9c654e..73ec229e8a3795 100644
--- a/Lib/test/datetimetester.py
+++ b/Lib/test/datetimetester.py
@@ -2895,6 +2895,12 @@ def test_strptime(self):
             strptime("-00:02:01.000003", "%z").utcoffset(),
             -timedelta(minutes=2, seconds=1, microseconds=3)
         )
+        self.assertEqual(strptime("+01:07", "%:z").utcoffset(),
+                         1 * HOUR + 7 * MINUTE)
+        self.assertEqual(strptime("-10:02", "%:z").utcoffset(),
+                         -(10 * HOUR + 2 * MINUTE))
+        self.assertEqual(strptime("-00:00:01.00001", "%:z").utcoffset(),
+                         -timedelta(seconds=1, microseconds=10))
         # Only local timezone and UTC are supported
         for tzseconds, tzname in ((0, 'UTC'), (0, 'GMT'),
                                  (-_time.timezone, _time.tzname[0])):
@@ -2973,7 +2979,7 @@ def test_strptime_leap_year(self):
             self.theclass.strptime('02-29,2024', '%m-%d,%Y')
 
     def test_strptime_z_empty(self):
-        for directive in ('z',):
+        for directive in ('z', ':z'):
             string = '2025-04-25 11:42:47'
             format = f'%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S%{directive}'
             target = self.theclass(2025, 4, 25, 11, 42, 47)
@@ -4041,6 +4047,12 @@ def test_strptime_tz(self):
             strptime("-00:02:01.000003", "%z").utcoffset(),
             -timedelta(minutes=2, seconds=1, microseconds=3)
         )
+        self.assertEqual(strptime("+01:07", "%:z").utcoffset(),
+                         1 * HOUR + 7 * MINUTE)
+        self.assertEqual(strptime("-10:02", "%:z").utcoffset(),
+                         -(10 * HOUR + 2 * MINUTE))
+        self.assertEqual(strptime("-00:00:01.00001", "%:z").utcoffset(),
+                         -timedelta(seconds=1, microseconds=10))
         # Only local timezone and UTC are supported
         for tzseconds, tzname in ((0, 'UTC'), (0, 'GMT'),
                                  (-_time.timezone, _time.tzname[0])):
@@ -4070,9 +4082,11 @@ def test_strptime_tz(self):
         self.assertEqual(strptime("UTC", "%Z").tzinfo, None)
 
     def test_strptime_errors(self):
-        for tzstr in ("-2400", "-000", "z"):
+        for tzstr in ("-2400", "-000", "z", "24:00"):
             with self.assertRaises(ValueError):
                 self.theclass.strptime(tzstr, "%z")
+            with self.assertRaises(ValueError):
+                self.theclass.strptime(tzstr, "%:z")
 
     def test_strptime_single_digit(self):
         # bpo-34903: Check that single digit times are allowed.
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_strptime.py b/Lib/test/test_strptime.py
index 0241e543cd7dde..325b04d81b03d4 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_strptime.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_strptime.py
@@ -406,34 +406,41 @@ def test_offset(self):
         (*_, offset), _, offset_fraction = _strptime._strptime("-013030.000001", "%z")
         self.assertEqual(offset, -(one_hour + half_hour + half_minute))
         self.assertEqual(offset_fraction, -1)
-        (*_, offset), _, offset_fraction = _strptime._strptime("+01:00", "%z")
-        self.assertEqual(offset, one_hour)
-        self.assertEqual(offset_fraction, 0)
-        (*_, offset), _, offset_fraction = _strptime._strptime("-01:30", "%z")
-        self.assertEqual(offset, -(one_hour + half_hour))
-        self.assertEqual(offset_fraction, 0)
-        (*_, offset), _, offset_fraction = _strptime._strptime("-01:30:30", "%z")
-        self.assertEqual(offset, -(one_hour + half_hour + half_minute))
-        self.assertEqual(offset_fraction, 0)
-        (*_, offset), _, offset_fraction = _strptime._strptime("-01:30:30.000001", "%z")
-        self.assertEqual(offset, -(one_hour + half_hour + half_minute))
-        self.assertEqual(offset_fraction, -1)
-        (*_, offset), _, offset_fraction = _strptime._strptime("+01:30:30.001", "%z")
-        self.assertEqual(offset, one_hour + half_hour + half_minute)
-        self.assertEqual(offset_fraction, 1000)
         (*_, offset), _, offset_fraction = _strptime._strptime("Z", "%z")
         self.assertEqual(offset, 0)
         self.assertEqual(offset_fraction, 0)
+        for directive in ("%z", "%:z"):
+            (*_, offset), _, offset_fraction = _strptime._strptime("+01:00",
+                                                                   directive)
+            self.assertEqual(offset, one_hour)
+            self.assertEqual(offset_fraction, 0)
+            (*_, offset), _, offset_fraction = _strptime._strptime("-01:30",
+                                                                   directive)
+            self.assertEqual(offset, -(one_hour + half_hour))
+            self.assertEqual(offset_fraction, 0)
+            (*_, offset), _, offset_fraction = _strptime._strptime("-01:30:30",
+                                                                   directive)
+            self.assertEqual(offset, -(one_hour + half_hour + half_minute))
+            self.assertEqual(offset_fraction, 0)
+            (*_, offset), _, offset_fraction = _strptime._strptime("-01:30:30.000001",
+                                                                   directive)
+            self.assertEqual(offset, -(one_hour + half_hour + half_minute))
+            self.assertEqual(offset_fraction, -1)
+            (*_, offset), _, offset_fraction = _strptime._strptime("+01:30:30.001",
+                                                                   directive)
+            self.assertEqual(offset, one_hour + half_hour + half_minute)
+            self.assertEqual(offset_fraction, 1000)
 
     def test_bad_offset(self):
-        with self.assertRaises(ValueError):
-            _strptime._strptime("-01:30:30.", "%z")
+        for directive in ("%z", "%:z"):
+            with self.assertRaises(ValueError):
+                _strptime._strptime("-01:30:30.", directive)
+            with self.assertRaises(ValueError):
+                _strptime._strptime("-01:30:30.1234567", directive)
+            with self.assertRaises(ValueError):
+                _strptime._strptime("-01:30:30:123456", directive)
         with self.assertRaises(ValueError):
             _strptime._strptime("-0130:30", "%z")
-        with self.assertRaises(ValueError):
-            _strptime._strptime("-01:30:30.1234567", "%z")
-        with self.assertRaises(ValueError):
-            _strptime._strptime("-01:30:30:123456", "%z")
         with self.assertRaises(ValueError) as err:
             _strptime._strptime("-01:3030", "%z")
         self.assertEqual("Inconsistent use of : in -01:3030", str(err.exception))
diff --git a/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Library/2025-07-21-20-00-42.gh-issue-121237.DyxNqo.rst b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Library/2025-07-21-20-00-42.gh-issue-121237.DyxNqo.rst
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..0b9757df950c6b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Library/2025-07-21-20-00-42.gh-issue-121237.DyxNqo.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+Support ``%:z`` directive for :meth:`~datetime.datetime.strptime` and
+:meth:`~datetime.time.strptime`. Patch by Semyon Moroz.

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