Yes. The “flattening” or “compression” effect is caused by camera position, not by telephoto optics themselves.

When you use a longer lens and keep the subject framed similarly, you usually move farther away. From farther back, the distances from camera to near and far parts of the scene become more similar in proportion. Because their distance ratio is closer to 1:1, their apparent size difference becomes smaller, so the scene looks flatter or more compressed.

That’s the same reason a close wide-angle portrait exaggerates features: the nose may be much closer to the camera than the ears, so it appears larger. Step back and use a longer focal length for the same framing, and those distances become much more similar, producing a more natural or compressed look.

So it’s fair to say focal length changes field of view, while perspective comes from where the camera is placed. A good way to see this is to make a series of photos while backing up and zooming in to keep the subject the same size; the background will appear to “come closer” as your shooting distance increases.