diff --git a/src/marshmallow/fields.py b/src/marshmallow/fields.py
index 69e8dbb19..042bb18c5 100644
--- a/src/marshmallow/fields.py
+++ b/src/marshmallow/fields.py
@@ -1341,6 +1341,11 @@ class DateTime(_TemporalField[dt.datetime]):
         "timestamp_ms": utils.from_timestamp_ms,
     }
 
+    #: Deserialization formats that encode an instant rather than a wall time.
+    #: :func:`~marshmallow.utils.from_timestamp` returns the UTC wall time for
+    #: these, so the naive value it produces is known to be UTC.
+    UTC_FORMATS = frozenset({"timestamp", "timestamp_ms"})
+
     DEFAULT_FORMAT = "iso"
 
     OBJ_TYPE = "datetime"
@@ -1417,13 +1422,21 @@ def __init__(
     def _deserialize(self, value, attr, data, **kwargs) -> dt.datetime:
         ret = super()._deserialize(value, attr, data, **kwargs)
         if not utils.is_aware(ret):
-            if self.default_timezone is None:
+            if (
+                self.format or self.DEFAULT_FORMAT
+            ) in self.UTC_FORMATS and not isinstance(value, dt.datetime):
+                # A POSIX timestamp denotes an instant in UTC. There is no
+                # missing timezone for ``default_timezone`` to supply, so the
+                # value is returned as UTC.
+                ret = ret.replace(tzinfo=dt.timezone.utc)
+            elif self.default_timezone is None:
                 raise self.make_error(
                     "invalid_awareness",
                     awareness=self.AWARENESS,
                     obj_type=self.OBJ_TYPE,
                 )
-            ret = ret.replace(tzinfo=self.default_timezone)
+            else:
+                ret = ret.replace(tzinfo=self.default_timezone)
         return ret
 
 
diff --git a/tests/test_deserialization.py b/tests/test_deserialization.py
index b3d21b170..fa00a294c 100644
--- a/tests/test_deserialization.py
+++ b/tests/test_deserialization.py
@@ -577,18 +577,27 @@ def test_timestamp_field_deserialization(self, fmt, value, expected):
         field = fields.DateTime(format=fmt)
         assert field.deserialize(value) == expected
 
-        # By default, a datetime from a timestamp is never aware.
+        # A naive field strips the timezone, as before.
         field = fields.NaiveDateTime(format=fmt)
         assert field.deserialize(value) == expected
 
+        # A timestamp denotes an instant in UTC, so an aware field gets UTC.
         field = fields.AwareDateTime(format=fmt)
-        with pytest.raises(ValidationError, match="Not a valid aware datetime."):
-            field.deserialize(value)
+        assert field.deserialize(value) == expected.replace(tzinfo=dt.timezone.utc)
 
-        # But it can be added by providing a default.
+        # There is no missing timezone for default_timezone to supply, so it
+        # does not apply and the instant is still UTC.
+        field = fields.AwareDateTime(format=fmt, default_timezone=central)
+        assert field.deserialize(value) == expected.replace(tzinfo=dt.timezone.utc)
+
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize("fmt", ["timestamp", "timestamp_ms"])
+    def test_aware_timestamp_deserialization_preserves_instant(self, fmt):
+        # A timestamp identifies an instant, so deserializing one must not
+        # move that instant, whichever timezone it is expressed in.
+        timestamp = 1384043025
+        value = timestamp * 1000 if fmt == "timestamp_ms" else timestamp
         field = fields.AwareDateTime(format=fmt, default_timezone=central)
-        expected_aware = expected.replace(tzinfo=central)
-        assert field.deserialize(value) == expected_aware
+        assert field.deserialize(value).timestamp() == timestamp
 
     @pytest.mark.parametrize("fmt", ["timestamp", "timestamp_ms"])
     @pytest.mark.parametrize("in_value", [True, False])